The newly elected commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars has condemned Donald Trump's derision of the mother of a slain Muslim-American soldier who was remembered at the Democratic National Convention last week.

Trump made an offhand remark on Sunday about Ghazala Khan, the mother of Iraq War veteran Captain Humayun Khan, standing silent on the stage in Philadelphia while her husband, Khizr, memorialized their son. Trump's criticism is an irreparable offense and "out-of-bounds", according to a statement the VFW released Monday.

Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has a history of lashing out after being attacked, but to ridicule a Gold Star Mother is out-of-bounds, said the new national commander of the near 1.7 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliary. "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," said Brian Duffy, of Louisville, Ky., who was elected July 27 to lead the nation's oldest and largest major war veterans organization. "There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed," he said. "Giving one's life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard."

While the VFW has not endorsed either candidate, leading Republicans who have backed Trump reject his treatment of the Khans. Arizona senator John McCain roundly condemned Trump in a statement Monday morning, while House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued statements of support for the Khan family.