Trump’s Attacks on McCain

Ella Bear, Staff Writer

On a Wednesday in Lima, Ohio, President Donald Trump went off script and began an attack on late Senator John McCain, 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 ‘thank you.’ That’s okay. We sent him on the way. But I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”

Trump has been lashing out on McCain for days, criticizing on acts such as on McCain’s important vote against repealing Obamacare in 2017. However, this attack has drawn criticism from prominent lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. A couple of Republicans have spoken out, emphasizing their high regard and deep respect for McCain. However, many have not directly addressed Trump.

On the other hand, many Democrats have spoken out. Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware asked, “What has happened to my colleagues in the Republican Party? I am genuinely struggling to grasp what Trump could possibly think was the upside of continuing to trash a genuine American hero regardless of what he thought of his last year’s voting record.” Furthermore, Senate Democrats are trying to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain, with Schumer announcing that he will reintroduce a measure to make that change in the coming days.

In addition to lawmakers, many veteran groups expressed outrage over Trump’s continuous attacks. “This entire dustup is disgraceful, it’s deplorable and it’s destructive,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said on CNN. “It’s bad for our military and veterans community and it’s bad for Donald Trump. This doesn’t help him. I can’t imagine who would support this position, continuing to attack a war hero.”

McCain’s daughters have also come out publicly against Trump on social media.

No one will ever love you the way they loved my father. I wish I had been given more Saturday’s with him. Maybe spend yours with your family instead of on twitter obsessing over mine?

— Meghan McCain @MeghanMcCain

As of now, Trump has not apologized for his statements.