New Report Reveals Trump’s Told Aides He Doesn’t Regret Questioning McCain Being a War Hero

President Donald Trump has yet to make any public statement regarding the tragic family announcement from John McCain. Following the revelation that the Arizona senator would be discontinuing medical treatment, there was a massive bipartisan outpouring of thoughts and prayers for him and his family.

As of this posting, the President has yet to make similar public comment. It’s no secret that Trump and McCain have clashed publicly in the last few years, and recently as McCain has been dealing with his health issues, Trump has avoided saying much directly about him (save for the occasional swipe over his health care vote).

A new report in The Washington Post on the “bad blood” between Trump and McCain reveals some lingering bitterness from POTUS:

Trump does not want to comment on McCain before he dies, White House officials said, and there was no effort to publish a statement Friday as many politicians released supportive comments on the ailing senator…

“He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said during a forum in Ames, Iowa [in 2015].

Trump refused to apologize at the time, despite criticism from nearly every corner, and has never retracted the statement. He has occasionally told people that he does not regret the comment.

The WaPo report did not come as a surprise to many political observers, but more as a reminder of the contrast in character:

Immediately after those comments, I asked Trump at a press conference if he wanted to apologize to McCain. Trump said: “No, not at all.” When I asked him he was familiar with what happened to McCain during his captivity, Trump said: “It’s irrelevant.” https://t.co/r8n9psJndB

— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) August 25, 2018

I trust that Trump’s bitter envy of a far better man gnaws at his soul, such as it is. And I suspect that Trump is made miserable by the inescapable fact that McCain is admired by those whose admiration is worth having, while he is not. https://t.co/Fyli6yqzBt

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 25, 2018

I’d say John McCain is ten times the man Trump is, but ten times zero is zero. I wish the Senator all the strength he has given to those fighting for freedom around the world for decades. https://t.co/vNcEMLXDh0

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) August 25, 2018

Trump detests the admirable and admires the detestable. As we see these cases unfold, it’s the second group that may be his undoing. https://t.co/aigZuuTmD1

— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) August 25, 2018

So presidential. So classy. https://t.co/QWQRMpZ15H

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) August 25, 2018

[image via screengrab]