Trump cites 'sacrifices', challenging fallen Muslim soldier's father

Donald Trump hit back on Saturday at accusations from the father of a slain Muslim soldier, saying he worked very hard and employed thousands of people.

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2 min read

The New Arab

31 Jul, 2016

Trump questioned whether his rival, Hillary Clinton, had been behind Khan's address [Getty]

Donald Trump responded to accusations from the father of a slain Muslim soldier that the billionaire has "sacrificed nothing" for his country, saying he had employed thousands of people.

Khizr Khan, whose son died serving in Iraq, accused the Republican presidential nominee of vilifying American Muslims in a steely rebuke that electrified the Democratic convention on Thursday.

"Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America," Khan said to Trump, "You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."

Trump brushed off Khan's words in an interview with ABC News on Saturday, stating that he thinks he has made "a lot of sacrifices."

"I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot," the US presidential hopeful said.

He proceeded to question whether his rival, Hillary Clinton, had been behind Khan's address, which the father said he wrote with his wife Ghazala.

"Who wrote that? Did Hillary's script writers write it?" Trump said in the interview, which is set to air in full on Sunday.

"If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say," he said, adding that "maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say."

In response, Clinton released a statement on Saturday defending the Khans as "the best of America."

"I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son on Thursday night," Clinton said.

"And I was very moved to hear her speak last night, bravely with dignity, about her son's life and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country."

"This is a time to honor the sacrifice of Captain Khan and all the fallen. Captain Khan and his family represent the best of America, and we salute them," Clinton added.

Meanwhile social media users turned Trump's response into a subject of ridicule with the hashtag #TrumpSacrifices gaining traction on Twitter.

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