In a searing denouncement, US President Barack Obama castigated US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as “unfit” and “woefully unprepared” to serve in the White House.
He challenged Republicans to withdraw their support for their party’s nominee, saying: “There has to come a point at which you say ‘enough.’”
While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation on Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race.
Obama questioned whether Trump would “observe basic decency” as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs and condemned his disparagement of a US Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the US Army in Iraq.
A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trump’s criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominee’s calls to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the US, but Obama argued that is not enough.
“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 during a White House news conference. “What does this say about your party that this is your standard-bearer?”
No prominent Republican lawmaker responded to Obama’s challenge.
Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top Republican lawmakers, including US House Speaker Paul Ryan.
In an affront to his party’s top elected official, Trump told the Washington Post he was not “quite there yet” on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week.
Trump’s refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the Republican Party and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook.
Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy.
“Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement, and we are confident in a victory next week regardless,” Ryan’s campaign said.
Trump also said he was not supporting US Senator John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Senator Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire.
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton sees those Republican concerns about Trump as an opportunity to reach out to party moderates — particularly women — who might be so upset by the nominee that they are willing to look past policy differences and questions about Clinton’s character.
One of those Republicans came around to Clinton’s side on Tuesday. Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, a prominent Republican fundraiser and donor, endorsed Clinton and said: “Donald Trump’s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character.”
Obama — who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office — plans to campaign robustly for Clinton through Election Day. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
The Khans also appeared at the convention, with Khizr Khan telling the story of his son, US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004.
Khizr Khan criticized Trump’s position on Muslims and asked whether the real-estate mogul had read the constitution.
For most politicians, tangling with a bereaved military family would be out of bounds. However, Trump dove in, questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and saying he was “viciously attacked” by Khizr Khan.
Trump’s criticism was part of a familiar pattern: He cannot let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation.
Those who have worked with him say that in private meetings he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. However, the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he has already answered a question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable TV.
Trump’s unwillingness to let the matter subside on Monday sparked outrage from several Republicans.
McCain, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.”
Senator Roy Blunt said the Khans “deserve to be heard and respected.”
Obama argued those denunciations “ring hollow” as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race.
Trump’s response? On Twitter, he said: “President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States!”
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