At Mike Pence rally, audience boos woman who accuses Trump of disrespecting soldiers and veterans

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 2 August 2016

During a town hall-style event in Nevada on Monday, Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana and Donald Trump's running mate, fielded a pointed question from a woman who said her son is serving in the Air Force.

"Time and time again, Trump has disrespected our nation's armed forces and veterans," the woman, who said her name was Catherine, stated. The crowd began to boo, Politico reports, and someone yelled, "Why are you here?" The woman continued, "You've got a son in the military. How do you tolerate this disrespect?" After several more seconds of booing, Pence asked the crowd to quiet down, saying, "That's okay. That's what freedom looks like, and that's what freedom sounds like."

The woman briefly mentioned Khizr Khan, the father of Captain Humayun Khan, and Pence applauded his son, calling him an "American hero." Regarding Trump, Pence said he's "never been around someone more devoted to the armed forces of this country. [There is] no one more devoted to the veterans in this country." One woman who booed told Politico she was moved by how Pence responded to the question. "I thought he handled it really, really well," she said. "Looking back, I think I would've taken the high road. He handled it the right way, the way I wish Trump would have." Another attendee said that while the mother had the right to ask Pence a question, she violated "everyone else's rights" by speaking out at the event.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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