Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who made headlines after speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, endorsed Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential bid on Monday.
Khan described the former vice president as an experienced public servant with the ability to unite the country after next year’s election.
“I’m supporting Joe Biden for President because of the America he stands for and the one he will fight for — the country that my son, Humayun Khan, believed in and fought for so bravely,” Khan said in a statement shared by the Biden campaign.
Khan touted Biden’s years of service, including his decades representing Delaware in the Senate and his two terms as vice president under former President Obama.
“Biden has never wavered in his commitment to our country. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has consistently chosen self over country, seeking the aid of totalitarian governments to sway elections and undermine our rule of law to serve his self-interest,” Khan added.
The Gold Star father and Trump clashed in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Khan and his wife, Ghazala, paid tribute their son, a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, during a moving speech at the Democratic convention that year, offering to lend then-Republican presidential candidate Trump their copy of the Constitution to read. Khan has continued to criticize Trump during the president’s time in office.
Khan said he trusts Biden to “unite” the country and “help us heal” after Trump “is gone.”
“I trust Joe Biden to be that person because I know his heart like I know my own. He understands loss and pain in a way that crosses barriers and connects all people,” Khan said.