Conservative commentator Meghan McCain tore into former President Donald Trump after he mocked her father, the late Arizona Senator John McCain, during a recent campaign appearance in Iowa.
Trump mocked Senator McCain's arm injuries that came from his five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from 1967 to 1973 and resulted in his inability to move his arms above his head for the rest of his life.
Trump revisited the unsuccessful July 2017 skinny repeal bill that Republicans failed to advance in the Senate. He singled out McCain—who died in 2018 of glioblastoma—as the primary cause for the bill's collapse:
"Obamacare is a catastrophe, nobody talks about it. You know, without John McCain, we would have had it done. But John McCain for some reason couldn't get his arm up that day, remember?"
You can hear what Trump said in the video below.
Trump then mimicked the thumbs-down gesture symbolizing McCain's "no" vote on the Senate floor in 2017. The 49-51 vote, with McCain, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining every Senate Democrat, marked a significant setback for Trump's promise to repeal Obamacare.
The GOP had vehemently opposed the Affordable Care Act since its 2009 introduction. The bill, initially politically polarizing but now favored by most voters, was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in 2010.
Meghan McCain responded to Trump shortly afterward in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing:
"My dad was an American hero. An icon. A patriot that will be remembered throughout history. I cannot buy a bagel without someone approaching me about how much they loved and miss him."
"Trump is a piece of s**t, election denying, huckster whose own wife won't campaign with him."
You can see her post below.
@MeghanMcCain/X
Many joined Meghan McCain in condemning the former President's remarks.
The relationship between the two men was notoriously contentious and in 2015, Trump, then a presidential candidate, infamously said that McCain was "not a war hero."
“He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured," Trump said at the time. McCain, in response, mocked Trump's multiple draft deferments, pointing to wealthy Americans who were able to get out of being drafted into service. McCain has been awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his military service.
McCain used his experience as a prisoner-of-war to urge the Senate to reject Gina Haspel’s nomination to be the director of the CIA. The senior senator cited Haspel’s refusal in testimony to acknowledge “torture’s immorality.”
McCain ultimately ordered that Trump not be invited to his funeral, and his family respected his wishes, requesting former Presidents Obama and George W. Bush to deliver eulogies.
When Meghan McCain was accused of supporting Trump in 2024 on X, she fired back, making it very clear where she stands on Trump in this year's election, posting
"I would rather saw my arm off with blunt glass than vote for Trump."
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