I have said that outside of FR and other pro-Trump sites like Breitbart, this is going over like a lead balloon with the general public.
The problem wasn’t Trump responding. The media kept raving over this as a takedown of Trump, so I don’t have a problem with him responding. George S. went right in with it. The problem, as with the judge, was just how it was articulated. All he needed to say was that he thanked the family for their sacrifice, called the son a hero, and then responded to the father’s comments in regards to his not reading the Constitution, defense of his Muslim ban (which is really restricting immigration from countries compromised by terrorism), and his defense of the wall. Those were the three things the father attacked him on. That’s a policy response.
As far as the sacrifice comments, those were a baited question by George S. that Trump answered literally. Trump should have just said that neither he NOR Hillary made that sacrifice that the Kahn family made and left it at that. George asked personally what he has done. Trump answered. He wasn’t trying to compare himself to the father, but the media did it. It was all a trap. George S. must have had trouble containing himself when Trump answered that. I bet they high-fived in the ABC studios after Trump left.
Where he went wrong was saying Hillary gave him a line for his speech and criticizing the mother. The mother was the main thing. That is where I am seeing so much outrage. You can’t win in the court of public opinion vs. a mother who lost her son. You can’t. The proof in the pudding is that the VFW is not a liberal group. In fact, they received Trump much better than Hillary.
This is why I am really afraid of what the debates are going to look like. Trump can’t help himself.
He doesn’t need to attack people. Not sure who is telling him that’s endearing him to independents but it will eventually bite him in the ass.
“Where he went wrong was saying Hillary gave him a line for his speech and criticizing the mother. The mother was the main thing.”
Calling attention to the fact that Islam routinely oppresses and silences people like her is hardly “criticizing the mother.” I listened to what Trump said about her and never heard him attack her. We need to call out the leftists on their lies and misrepresentations, not reiterate them as if they’re true.