VIRGINIA (WDVM) — The Republican National Convention continues on Tuesday in Charlotte, NC.

Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father whose son was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War, says he has not tuned in to the convention. Khan and his wife, Ghazala, spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and criticized Trump. Last week, Mr. Khan represented Virginia during the DNC roll call.

“I have no interest at all,” Mr. Khan said. “There isn’t much going on there except King Donald’s praise. We have much more serious issues that our nation is going through at this time. 180,000 Americans have died because of the pandemic and they’re celebrating.”

Khan says what he had feared as an American immigrant has come true. “We had feared that our Constitution would be attacked, our democracy would be attacked, our rule of law would be attacked,” said Khan, who raised his copy of the Constitution during his DNC speech four years ago. “Never before in the history of our country have we faced so many serious issues, like the attack on our free press.” 

Born in Pakistan in 1950, Khan immigrated to the United States from the United Arab Emirates in 1980. “I have lived under dictators and authoritarians. The very first thing they do when they come into power is to declare free press the enemy of the people,” he said. “Look what Trump has done.”

Khan also worries about the Trump Administration’s attacks on protesters, most recently during Black Lives Matter protests across the country, and on immigrants. “This would not have happened under any Republican or Democrat administration — cages at the border and children being pulled from their parents without due process,” said Khan.

The Khan family says they support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden because of his familial ties to the military and his Congressional track record. Many Republican leaders, like former Ohio governor John Kasich, who spoke at the DNC last week, have announced they will cross the aisle to vote for Biden. 

“Those Republicans are as patriotic as Democrats and I know in my heart that that love for the country will guide them to vote for Joe Biden because we need somebody that is going to bring us together,” Khan said.

The Trump Administration has led us through great challenges and now is ushering in the Great American Comeback,” said Marcia Lee Kelly, President and CEO of the 2020 Republican National Convention. “Our country needs President Trump’s leadership for four more years, and the road back to the White House starts with the 2020 Republican National Convention.”