Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) reported request to have Donald Trump stay away from his funeral is not sitting well with fellow Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
“I think it’s ridiculous,” the 83-year-old Hatch told Politico on Monday. McCain reportedly wants Vice President Mike Pence to represent the White House instead.
Hatch thinks Trump is getting a bad rap.
“Well, he’s the president of the United States and he’s a very good man,” the senator said of Trump.
He conceded that it’s McCain’s call. McCain, 81, was diagnosed with brain cancer last July.
“I think John should have his own wishes fulfilled with regard to who attends the funeral,” Hatch said, adding that he hopes McCain changes his mind.
Traditionally, it’s considered an honor to have the president attend your funeral, but there’s a history of bad blood between McCain and Trump.
In 2015, Trump dismissed McCain’s time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam by telling a debate crowd, “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
McCain said last Fall that Trump has never apologized for the statement.
Over the weekend, Trump criticized the senator’s vote against health care reform in a speech to the NRA.
McCain reportedly returns the wrath in his upcoming memoir, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations, saying of Trump, “the appearance of toughness or a reality show facsimile of toughness seems to matter more [to the president] than any of our values.” |
