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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ash falls on Rim Village as battle with Crater Lake fire continues ... Since You Asked: Hanley Farm likely fed local soldiers ... Opting out: More Medford charter school students are declining to take state tests ... Ash falls on Rim Village as battle with Crater Lake fire continues ... Since You Asked: Hanley Farm likely fed local soldiers ... Opting out: More Medford charter school students are declining to take state tests ... OUR VIEW Our View: Donald Trump's very, very bad week Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated at 9:17 AM Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated at 9:17 AM » Social News To say that Donald Trump has had a bad week is putting it mildly. And there is little indication things will get much better anytime soon. As a community newspaper focused primarily on local news, we generally refrain from weighing in on national stories that have no direct connection to the Rogue Valley. But the spectacle that is the Trump campaign is so unprecedented in American politics that we could not remain silent. The man who defied conventional wisdom by marshaling enough disaffected voters to win the Republican nomination while alienating multiple groups of Americans has spent the past several days in an apparent attempt to insult even more constituencies: parents who lost children in combat, mothers of babies who cry in public, injured combat veterans and fellow Republicans House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain. While another nominee might have taken some time to enjoy his bump in the polls following his own nomination, Trump spent the weekend repeatedly attacking a Muslim American couple whose son, a U.S. Army captain, was killed by a car bomb in Iraq. The couple spoke to the Democratic convention in Cleveland, criticizing Trump for questioning the patriotism of Muslims, which Trump called a "vicious attack." The public feud Trump then stoked for days prompted stern criticism from Republican leaders and service groups, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Trump also caused a stir when he told a mother and her baby to leave a campaign event when the baby interrupted his speech by crying. When a supporter gave Trump a Purple Heart medal, Trump said he's "always wanted to get the real Purple Heart," adding, "This was much easier." In a surreal interview with The Washington Post, during which the candidate frequently paused to watch coverage of himself on TV, Trump refused to endorse Ryan and McCain, both of whom face challenges in primary elections coming up soon. Whether this was in retaliation for Ryan's reluctance to endorse Trump and McCain's criticism of his feud with a Gold Star family is impossible to know, but it is not normal behavior for a party nominee, and it reportedly infuriated Republican Chairman Reince Priebus, a close friend of Ryan's. On top of all that, Trump continues to demonstrate his tenuous grip on even the most basic facts about American foreign policy, insisting in another interview that the Russians "won't be going into Ukraine" when they are already there. President Obama publicly called him "unfit to serve" and called on Republicans to withdraw their support — another unprecedented development. On Wednesday, there were reports that GOP leaders were exploring their options if they have to replace Trump as the nominee, and that a group of Trump advisers were planning an "intervention" with the candidate over his behavior of the past few days. It's unlikely the party could strip him of the nomination involuntarily. And no one seriously expects Trump to quit the race, although the only thing consistent about him is being unpredictable. Despite a CNBC report from a well-placed source that Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is "mailing it in" and campaign staff are "suicidal," Manafort told Fox News the reports of turmoil were untrue and all is well. "The candidate's in control of his own campaign," Manafort said. If so, that may be precisely the problem. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 4, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated at 9:17 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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