The future funeral of GOP Senator John McCain, who was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer last year, has triggered a heated debate, as details of the ceremony were leaked. The New York Times reported that Donald Trump is not welcome at McCain’s eventual funeral unlike former US President Barak Obama and incumbent Vice President Mike Pence, which immediately received a polarized reaction.
Among those who spoke out against this move was most senior GOP senator Orrin Hatch, who’s leaving office this year. The Republican called McCain’s keeping the US president from the funeral “ridiculous” and advised the senator to change his mind.
"Well, he's the president of the United States and he's a very good man. But it's up to [McCain]. I think John should have his own wishes fulfilled with regard to who attends the funeral," Hatch said, cited by the Politico.
Congressman Gregory Meeks from the opposing Democratic Party praised McCain for the decision. “I wouldn’t expect anything to be different for Mr. McCain, Sen. McCain, now. He is not going to be a hypocrite. He does not believe that Donald Trump represents the kind of moral authority the president of the United States should represent for our country,” he said on CNN.
However, it wasn’t the only move against Trump by the senator. McCain also blasted the US president in his upcoming memoir titled "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and other Appreciations,” which McCain refers to as his last book. The memoir has brought another revelation, as the Republican reportedly regretted his decision to pick former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign. Incidentally, Palin was among those who endorsed Trump during his 2016 election campaign.
The New York Times cited McCain as saying that he wished he had instead chosen former Republican Senator Joseph Lieberman.
All these events have fueled heated discussions on social media. Many commentators, expressing their support to Trump, have criticized McCain.
In his final days John McCain shows his true colors, he turns on @SaraPalinUSA and tries to disrespect @realDonaldTrump
— George Washington (@GW1stPOTUS) 8 мая 2018 г.
Without Gov. Plain on the ticket he would have lost every State in the union.
Serves him well that the POTUS wont be at his funeral.
#IngrahamAngle
— Annie Higgins (@Midwood49) 8 мая 2018 г.
McCain is a bitter man. I’m sorry for his heath issues but he’s ruthless and viciously anti-Trump
Dems: “John McCain is a white supremacist Nazi. He should go to hell”
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) 7 мая 2018 г.
*John McCain attacks Trump*
Dems: “John McCain is a war hero and a saint. You can’t attack him!!”
Liberals are the most hypocritical people on the planet.
Trump should have a rally in AZ during McCain's funeral.
— 🇺🇸 BULL GOD 🇺🇸 (@trickrick41) 7 мая 2018 г.
If Trump were as petty, bitter, & vindictive as John McCain, he would unseal John's military records exposing the lives that were lost from McCain's treasonous acts.#MAGA #KAG2020 #MondayMotivation @SenJohnMcCain pic.twitter.com/HoAszUPHGy
— Almanor 👠 (@Sunrise51052) 7 мая 2018 г.
McCain dislikes Palin because she was more popular than him,. She lit the match that started the Tea Party which led to Trump.
— The Gay Trumpocrat (@PaulObrienUSA) 7 мая 2018 г.
Being a RINO he hated seeing so many of his Democrat friends lose their seats to Patriots when Tea Party helped GOP win back both House & Senate.
The funeral issue and debates over the upcoming book topped the long time standoff between Donald Trump and one of the leading GOP figures, who had run for the presidency in 2008. Tensions between them have grown over the past few years. Trump accused McCain, one of the country's most well-known Vietnam prisoners of war, saying that he was considered a hero only "because he was captured." McCain lambasted Trump and voted against repealing Obamacare and confronted him on other issues, which the current US president had advocated for.
READ MORE: US Senator McCain Slams Donald Trump Over 'Believing in Sincerity'
A well-known maverick of GOP politics, John McCain, has held his US Senate seat, representing Arizona, since 1987. He launched a presidential campaign in 2000, ultimately losing the Republican nomination to former President George W. Bush. His party nominated him when he ran again in 2008, but he was defeated by former President Barack Obama.
