Jim Young/Reuters/ZUMA
President Barack Obama issued a forceful rebuke to Donald Trump for his ongoing attacks against Khizr Khan, the father of a deceased war hero who spoke at the Democratic National Convention, telling reporters on Tuesday that the Republican nominee was “woefully unprepared” to become president.
“He keeps on proving it,” Obama said at a press conference welcoming the Singaporean prime minister. “The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that had made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn’t appear to have basic knowledge around critical issues in Europe, the Middle East, in Asia, means that he’s woefully unprepared to do this job.”
The president also denounced Republican leaders who continue to support the controversial real estate magnate, despite their repeated assurances that Trump’s rhetoric is often inconsistent with the party’s values.
“If you are repeatedly having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?” Obama asked. “What does it say about your party that this is your standard bearer?”
Obama acknowledged that he held different policy views from his former rivals Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney—the past two Republican nominees Obama successfully ran against in 2008 and 2012—but that he never questioned their competence to lead the country. In contrast, Obama called Trump “unfit” for the White House, adding, “There has to come a point in which you say, ‘Enough.”
The president’s comments come shortly after the first Republican member of Congress announced he was crossing party lines to vote for Hillary Clinton this November.
