Donald Trump campaigning in McCain's home state of Arizona in 2016. He would win the state in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, then lose it in the 2020 election, a flip based in part on his insults towards the since-deceased McCain.

Since July 2015, Donald Trump, the 45th U.S. President from 2017 to 2021, has made a series of controversial public statements, criticizing late U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. Trump's comments regarding McCain have drawn backlash from numerous members of the Republican Party, including Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, Scott Walker, Mitch McConnell, Johnny Isakson, Martha McSally, and others.[1][2] Trump's remarks on McCain have also drawn backlash from McCain's family, including Meghan McCain,[3][4] as well as from Democratic figures such as Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and others.[5][6][7]

History

Official 2009 congressional portrait of late U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has made several controversial public statements since 2015 about late U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. Trump has made comments regarding and questioning McCain's military service as a naval aviator in the United States Navy during Operation Rolling Thunder in the Vietnam War, in which McCain was shot down over Hanoi and remained a prisoner of war from 1967 to 1973.[8]

2015

On July 18, 2015, Trump appeared at The Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, just one month after he announced his campaign for president on June 16 of that same year. In a one-on-one interview with CBS pollster Frank Luntz, Trump was asked about the naval service of then–U.S. senator from Arizona John McCain, in which Trump responded:

He's not a war hero, he's a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured, okay? I hate to tell you.[1][9]

In the same interview, Trump proceeded to attack McCain's intelligence by claiming he graduated "second to last" in his graduating class at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, stating:

I said he graduated last, or second to last, he graduated last in his class at Annapolis, and he was upset. I said, "Why? For telling the truth?"[1]

Following the Leadership Summit incident, a 1999 interview between Trump and Dan Rather on 60 Minutes began to appear on Twitter, YouTube, and other social media. During the interview, Trump was asked about McCain's military service, in which Trump responded:

He was captured. Does being captured make you a hero? I don’t know. I’m not sure.[10]

2016

Donald J. Trump Twitter
@realDonaldTrump

The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!

Oct 11, 2016[11]

Following Trump's controversial statements during the Leadership Summit incident in July 2015, McCain announced in April 2016 that he would not attend the Republican National Convention in July that same year after Trump received the Republican nomination for president.[12] However, McCain stated that despite Trump's statements, he would still vote for Trump, citing, "because I'm a proud Republican and I support the Republican party."[10]

However, following the release of the Access Hollywood tape on October 7, 2016, just one month before the election, McCain announced that he was withdrawing his vote and support for Trump, stating:

Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.[10]

2018

On August 25, 2018, McCain died due to complications from Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, which McCain had been battling on and off since his diagnosis in July 2017.[13] Many close friends of McCain cited that he did not want then–president Trump attending his funeral, which was scheduled to be held in September 2018.[14]

According to a September 2020 article in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, following McCain's death in August 2018, Trump, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the event, allegedly told his senior staff:

We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,[15]

The article also goes on to suggest that Trump became furious when he saw flags lowered to half-staff in honor of McCain, telling his aides:

What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser.[15]

2019

Donald J. Trump Twitter
@realDonaldTrump

Spreading the fake and totally discredited Dossier “is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain.” Ken Starr, Former Independent Counsel. He had far worse “stains” than this, including thumbs down on repeal and replace after years of campaigning to repeal and replace!

Mar 16, 2019[16]

On March 16, 2019, roughly seven months after McCain's death, Trump criticized McCain on Twitter for his "thumbs down" vote which prevented the 2017 repeal of the Affordable Care Act, while quoting Ken Starr.[17] The next day, on March 17, Trump promoted a conspiracy theory on Twitter suggesting that McCain's decision to send the Steele dossier to the Federal Bureau of Investigation was a collusion with the Democratic Party to attack him personally.[10]

On March 19, 2019, while meeting in the Oval Office with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, and just two days after his controversial tweets regarding McCain were posted, Trump was questioned by reporters about his recent criticisms of McCain, despite his passing. Trump responded, stating:

I never was a fan of John McCain, and I never will be.[18]

On March 20 2019, Trump made a series of extremely controversial statements regarding McCain at a U.S. Army tank manufacturing facility, the Joint Systems Manufacturer, in Lima, Ohio. Trump proclaimed that the McCain family never thanked him for McCain's funeral, and further expressed his apathy towards the deceased senator, stating:

I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve. I don't care about this. I didn't get [a] thank you. That's OK. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a fan of John McCain.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Donald Trump mocks John McCain". CBS Evening News. July 19, 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. ↑ Kellman, Laurie (2019-03-20). "Republicans defend the late John McCain against Trump's attacks". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  3. ↑ Yang, Allie (February 7, 2019). "Meghan McCain responds to report that Trump mocked her late father Sen. John McCain ahead of State of the Union address". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  4. ↑ Cole, Devan (2019-05-30). "Meghan McCain blasts Trump over USS McCain controversy". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  5. ↑ "Schumer Floor Remarks On The Passing Of Senator John McCain | Senate Democratic Leadership". www.democrats.senate.gov. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  6. ↑ "'We never doubted we were on the same team': Read Obama's speech at John McCain's memorial service". NBC News. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  7. ↑ Breuninger, Kevin (2018-05-11). "Joe Biden slams White House over Trump aide's remark about John McCain's illness: Decency has 'hit rock bottom with this administration'". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  8. ↑ Levy, Daniel Saul (2018-08-26). "Inside John McCain's Journey From Annapolis to the Hanoi Hilton: How He Became a Prisoner of War". Time. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  9. ↑ "Trump attacks McCain: 'I like people who weren't captured'". Politico. 2015-07-18. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Stieb, Matt (2019-03-20). "A Brief History of Trump's Feud With John McCain". New York Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  11. ↑ Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump] (October 11, 2016). "The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Sen. John McCain will skip the Republican convention". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  13. ↑ Elliott, Philip (2018-08-26). "John McCain, an American Original, Dies at Age 81". Time. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  14. ↑ Shabad, Rebecca (2018-05-05). "McCain doesn't want Trump at funeral, friends tell White House". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  15. 1 2 Goldberg, Jeffrey (2020-09-03). "Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers'". The Atlantic.
  16. ↑ Donald Trump [@realDonaldTrump] (March 16, 2019). "Spreading the fake and totally discredited Dossier "is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ↑ Romero, Dennis (2019-03-17). "Trump lashes out at McCain seven months after senator's death". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  18. ↑ Galioto, Katie (2019-03-19). "Trump intensifies attacks on McCain: 'I never was a fan of John McCain, and I never will be'". Politico.
  19. ↑ Taylor, Jessica (2019-03-20). "Trump Carries On Criticism Of McCain, As A Republican Calls His Words 'Deplorable'". NPR.
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