Trump in final insult to McCain
IN one final dig at the late Republican Senator John McCain, Donald Trump has blatantly and publicly ignored a chance to redeem himself and pay respects to the respected politician and war hero, underscoring the US president’s enduring scorn for the Senator.
During question time after a briefing in the Oval Office yesterday, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked the president if he would like to say anything on the legacy of John McCain, who died on Saturday at 81 after a battle with brain cancer.
It was a chance for the president to redeem himself following widespread condemnation for his deafening silence so far.
But the president chose instead to shamelessly ignore the opportunity. The journalist then reportedly repeated the question. Again, Mr Trump chose to remain silent.
Discussing Mr Trump’s actions on CNN today, US journalist and broadcaster Brooke Baldwin called the move “despicable”.
The awkward moment came on a morning where it also came to light that Mr Trump rejected a statement prepared by his aides that praised Mr McCain.
While tributes have poured in highlighting the Arizona Republican’s lifetime of service, Mr Trump issued a single, terse tweet on Saturday that sent his “deepest sympathies and respect” to the bereaved family, without any actual words for Mr McCain himself.
The president was then targeted by furious social media users when he posted a photo of himself on his official Instagram account to farewell Mr McCain.
The absence of any formal communique from the White House raised eyebrows and was all the more conspicuous after Vice President Mike Pence along with most of the cabinet, press secretary Sarah Sanders and all the living former presidents had issued their own statements.
According to the Washington Post, which cited unnamed current and former White House aides, senior staff had advocated for a statement that called Mr McCain a “hero.”
The statement was given to Mr Trump for his approval. But the president told aides he preferred to tweet instead, and it was ultimately not released.
Mr Trump had earlier attacked Senator McCain’s service in the military, saying of the one-time prisoner of war: “I like people that weren’t captured.”