Trump Repeats Bogus Claim That Captain Khan Would Still Be Alive If He Were President

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:26 pm

Ever since Donald Trump was lambasted by leaders in both parties for fighting with a Gold Star family and dishonoring the service of Captain Humayun Khan, he’s been trying out a new approach: pretending Khan would still be alive if he was president.

Khan was killed in 2004 in a suicide attack in Iraq.

When the Republican was asked in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos if he thinks he should apologize for the way he treated the Khan family following the Democratic National Convention, he repeated this bogus claim.

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Trump said, “I have great respect for the Khan family, I have great respect for – I mean their son is a great hero – but if I were president at that time, Capt. Khan would be alive today, George, because I wouldn’t have been in Iraq … I was opposed to the war in Iraq.”

As Hillary Clinton and many objective sources have noted repeatedly throughout the campaign, Donald Trump was not opposed to the war in Iraq from the beginning. Had he been president at the time, the war still would have taken place because Trump was in favor of it.

In fact, Trump’s campaign rhetoric today indicates that he would be a president who acts recklessly and would only embolden our enemies. This would make the world a more dangerous place and only increase the odds that America gets mired in more conflicts, not less.

For their part, the Clinton campaign has continued to stand up to Trump’s attacks on the Khan family. In an emotional new ad released days ago, Capt. Khan’s father recounts how his son died protecting “everyone in his unit.” Khan’s father asked of Trump, “Would my son have a place in your America?”

The answer to Mr. Khan’s question is a resounding “no,” as Trump has promised to ban Muslims – like the Khans – from even entering the United States. For those living here already, a President Trump would treat them like criminals.

Donald Trump will likely continue to rewrite history when it comes to his initial support of military intervention in Iraq. But after spending so much time throwing mud at the Khan family, it’s unlikely that anybody will buy it.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.