NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s presidential bid has thrived on controversy of his own making. Now, the Republican nominee kicks off the first full week of the general election campaign having put his strategy of saying the politically unimaginable to its greatest test yet.
Trump broke a major American political and societal taboo over the weekend when he engaged in an emotionally-charged feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the bereaved parents of a decorated Muslim Army captain killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq.
The outcry was swift and bipartisan, leaving Trump largely isolated among his fellow Republicans. Now, Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has issued a statement that appears designed to put some space between the two men atop the GOP ticket. The father of a Marine, Pence says that he and Trump believe Capt. Humayun Khan is a hero and his family “should be cherished by every American.”
Pence’s statement came after an afternoon of debate among his aides as to whether he should find a way to subtly distance himself from Trump’s comments, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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