For the Democrats, Khan’s speech was, at least in the short-term, a political masterstroke. His message resonated far more than that of any other speaker at the convention, a fact that makes one question where all politicians are getting their rhetorical training these days. In his impassioned appeal, this seemingly unassuming Pakistani immigrant and his stoic wife held the nation spellbound with their eloquent testimonial of their son Humayun’s ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq War. In that sense, this speech was a eulogy to his son, a bona fide American hero.

But Khan’s words went beyond memorializing his son. They were also an indictment of Republican standard-bearer Donald Trump and the policies he has advocated to counter Islamic extremism. In part, they were an appeal to bring back rational discourse into our political dialogue. Whether that appeal succeeds or fails, what is most instructive to the voting public has been Trump’s response to Khan.

Trump has chosen to directly engage in a back-and-forth with the Khan family that he cannot win. He must recognize that the Democrats are capitalizing on Khan’s speech and the American voter has to understand that both sides are shamelessly exploiting a Gold Star family for their own political purposes.