Tim Kaine slammed Donald Trump for his comments about the Khan family.  | AP Photo Kaine on Trump's Khan remarks: 'Lowest of the low'

RICHMOND, Va. — Tim Kaine had a harsh assessment of Donald Trump's battles with Khizr and Ghazala Kahn: "The lowest of the low." 

"Did anybody watch the Khan family speak?  Proud Virginians.  They're us.  They're proud Virginians," Kaine said of the family, who lost their son to a suicide bomb during the war in Iraq in 2004. " This family that has lost their son. ...  Many Muslims have lost their son serving in the United States military.  Donald Trump has the temerity to trash them." 


Kaine further dinged Trump for his "stupid" criticism of Ghazala Khan for not speaking while standing next to Khizr last Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.  Khizr Khan has harshly criticized Trump as a politician with few morals and little empathy, an assessment Kaine agreed with. 

"Is there no limit to which this guy will descend?  Trashing the family of a war hero," Kaine said, pivoting into a broader criticism of Trump. " Trashing John McCain for being a POW?  Saying the American military is a disaster?" 

"He wants to be commander in chief?"  Kaine asked the crowd. 

"No," was the answer. 

Appearing at a homecoming rally here in his adopted hometown, Kaine waited half an hour here before addressing Trump's battles with the Khan family, which have drawn broad criticism from some Republicans and almost all Democrats. 

And these days Kaine himself is on the receiving end of Trump criticism as "corrupt" — which the Virginia senator said is just about the only downside of being Hillary Clinton's running mate. 

"Until I was on the ticket, Donald Trump wasn't calling me names.  That's the price you pay," Kaine said.