US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has criticised John McCain, saying he wasn’t “thanked” for giving the late Republican Senator a state funeral.
Trump was speaking at a rally in Ohio yesterday evening when he made his comments about the late Senator, with whom he’d frequently feuded.
“I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as President I had to approve” Trump told reporters in Ohio. “I don’t care about this. I didn’t get (a) thank you but that’s OK.”
In his speech, Trump claimed – without citing evidence – that McCain had pushed for a war in Iraq and that he had failed America’s veterans.
He later said; “We sent him on the way but I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”
The late Republican Senator, who died of a brain tumor aged 81 last August, was held in high regard by many Americans.
Following Trump’s comments, McCain’s biographer hit out at the President and called on US politicians to criticise Trump.
“I hope (Trump’s) indecency to John’s memory and to the McCain family will convince more officeholders that they can’t ignore the damage Trump is doing to politics and to the country’s well-being or remain silent despite their concerns,” said Mark Salter. “They must speak up.”
Trump has said for years that he does not think McCain is a hero because the senator was captured in Vietnam. McCain was tortured and held prisoner by the Viet Cong for over five years.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defended McCain’s legacy, saying he was “a rare patriot and genuine American hero in the Senate.”
“His memory continues to remind me every day that our nation is sustained by the sacrifices of heroes.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, who cried on the Senate floor following McCain’s death last August but who has allied himself with Trump, said, “I think the president’s comments about [McCain] hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Senator McCain.”
“A lot of people are coming to John’s defense now. I don’t like it when he says things about my friend John McCain.”
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