Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Cruel’ Donald Trump claims dead solider would still be alive if he was President

Presidential candidate says the Iraq War was a 'horrible mistake'

Thursday 27 October 2016 19:30 EDT
Comments
Captain Khan's parents appeared at the Democratic Convention
Captain Khan's parents appeared at the Democratic Convention (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has been criticised for claiming a US soldier killed in the Iraq War would still be alive today if he had been President.

The soldier’s father, Khizr Khan, who gave an emotional speech at the Democratic Convention against Mr Trump in July, branded the remark “cruel”.

The Republication Presidential candidate made the claim when speaking to ABC News but said he believed the solider was a hero.

"Had I been president, Captain Khan would be alive today. We wouldn't have been in this horrible, horrible mistake, the war in Iraq," Mr Trump said.

Humayun Khan was 27-years-old when he was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq.

His father responded to Trump’s comments by saying: "This is the most cruel thing you can say to grieving parents, that if I was there this would not have happened."

Mr Khan’s speech at the Democratic Convention caught the attention of the country when he attacked Mr Trump for his anti-Muslim rhetoric.

As he spoke his wife stood by his side, which Mr Trump claimed implied she was not allowed to talk – a response that received strong condemnation from within his own party.

The controversy was one of many in the Republican's campaign, which saw him backtrack on a proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US and be ridiculed for inaccuracies on Isis.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in