Ronn Torossian
Ronn Torossian
There’s little doubt that Donald Trump can gain publicity with ease, maybe better than any other political figure since Ronald Regan or John F. Kennedy. However, Trump faces the problem of often gaining attention for making all the wrong moves.

The recent situation with the Khan Family may be one of those times. Mr. and Mrs. Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention recently about the loss of their son — by anyone’s estimation, a true hero — in Afghanistan. Such a loss is heartbreaking and no matter who tells it — a family that hit American soil with the Pilgrims, or recent immigrants — it rings true and touching to the public.

Whether you agree with them using that story for political purposes doesn’t really matter, because both parties have made similar choices. The difference with the Khans became more about Trump’s reaction.

Berating and vilifying opponents have been common tactics of the Donald, but doing the same to people who lost their son in the military is not a good idea. It’s not right, no matter where one stands on the political spectrum.

Trump supporters tend to look at it as him being honest and unapologetic about the stands he takes. But even those supporters are cringing. Trump needed only to empathize with the family and their loss. Instead, he charged in using full-attack mode. His style is brash and “in your face,” and has worked well for him to this point.

But where he’s stumbled and lost — including with many diehard Republicans — has almost always involved those same behaviors. Attacking Mitt Romney maybe wasn’t a bad decision, but attacking his beliefs didn’t go over well, and he’s still trying to reverse the harmful effects of just one or two statements in that regard.

Likewise, attacking Hillary wasn’t frowned on at all, but attacking the family of a fallen war hero is causing problems and makes him look like the school-yard bully. Attacking the Khan’s story probably only brought it more into the public view. If Trump had not responded in any way, it easily could have been just another stirring speech at the convention. Instead, it became a rallying cry.

If Donald Trump is going to win this election, he’s going to need to find a way to check his attack response at the door, at least long enough to consider if it will help or hurt his campaign. He’s been gaining ground according to some polls, but he needs to stop senseless attacks and focus on the one person he’s running against.

Hopefully, Trump’s advisors help him see the benefit of recognizing that the Khans aren’t the enemy. Trump needs to stop senseless attacks, and if he can focus on what Americans want, he might actually get more people excited about him being President and voting for him, instead of simply voting for him because they can’t stand the thought of President Hillary Clinton.

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5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian is regarded as one of the most well-respected public relations executives in the United States.