It’s been made clear from numerous rallies that the billionaire does not like being interrupted. Protesters and journalists have been escorted from Trump events for just that kind of behavior. Now mothers and their crying toddlers have been added to that list.
On Tuesday, Trump held a rally in Ashburn, Virginia. During his usual rants about China, a child began to cry. For a moment, the candidate took it in stride.
"Don’t worry about that baby. I love babies. I love babies," he said. "I hear that baby crying. I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Don’t worry, don’t worry. The mom’s running around, like don’t worry about it, you know. It’s young and beautiful and healthy and that’s what we want."
Trump then continued regularly-scheduled remarks, only to be interrupted by more baby noises.
"Actually I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here. That’s all right. Don’t worry – I, I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking. That’s ok. People don’t understand. That’s ok."
During the same rally, Trump also made a strange attempt to smooth over his strained relationship with American veterans.
Stepping into the event, the presidential hopeful was handed a Purple Heart medal by a retired lieutenant colonel.
"I said to him, 'Is that like the real one, or is that a copy?'" he said. "And I said, ‘Man, that’s like big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier."
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 2, 2016
Trump is already in hot water following his ongoing feud with the Khan family, whose Muslim son, Captain Humayun Khan, died while serving in the American military. During a speech at the Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan blasted the candidate’s proposed ban on Muslims, and later said he was "void" of a "moral compass."
Trump, naturally, pushed back, leveling escalating accusations against Khan, and insisting that he has, contrary to Khan’s claims, sacrificed for the country.
"I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices," he told George Stephanopoulos over the weekend. "I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve done, I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot."
This is, of course, not the definition of “sacrifice,” and in terms of military service, Trump has sacrificed nothing. The billionaire received not one, but five draft deferments during the Vietnam War. Four of these were for attending college, while the fifth was a medical deferment related to "bone spurs" in his heels.
Adding insult to injury, Trump is now waving around a military decoration awarded to those wounded or killed in battle. The same medal given to Captain Khan.
