‘Above Party, Above Politics’: Biden Praises John McCain On 9/11 As He Calls For National Unity

President Joe Biden remembered his late friend, “war hero, senator, and statesman” John McCain (R-AZ), during his 9/11 remarks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Monday.

Air Force One made the stop in Anchorage to refuel following a trip to the G20 in India, and a stop in Vietnam.

“Earlier today in Hanoi, I visited a marker to honor my friend, war hero, senator, and statesman John McCain,” he said of the Vietnam War POW, continuing:

John and I disagreed like hell. Like two brothers, we’d argue like hell on the Senate floor and then go to lunch together. I went out to see John just before he passed away at his home. As I was walking out, I put my hand on his chest, and he pulled me down, and kissed me. Said, “I love you. Will you do my eulogy?”

John and I were friends. Like a lot of us who had differences, like Ted Stevens (R-AK) and I were friends. We disagreed, but were friends. One thing I always admired about John, was how he put duty to country first. And that’s not hyperbole; he did. Above party, above politics, above his own person.

This day reminds us we must never lose that sense of national unity. So, let that be the common cause of our time. Let us honor September 11th by renewing our faith in one another. Let us remember who we are as a nation. We never forget. We’re never afraid. We endure. We overcome! We are the United States of America, and there is nothing — literally, historically — nothing beyond our capacity when we set our mind to it together.

Biden was criticized by some on the Right for not making it a “priority” to appear at one of the three 9/11 memorial sites. Vice President Kamala Harris attended in his stead at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.

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