John McCain's son endorses Harris, denounces Trump's Arlington Cemetery visit
A son of former Republican presidential hopeful John McCain denounced former President Donald Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery last month and said he plans to vote for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jimmy McCain, the youngest son of the late Arizona senator and a former Marine, told CNN in an interview published Tuesday that he considered Trump's recent ANC visit a "violation" of the hallowed cemetery.
"It just blows me away," said Jimmy McCain. "I just think that for anyone who's done a lot of time in their uniform, they just understand that inherently — that it's not about you there. It's about these people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country."
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"Many of these men and women who served their country chose to do something greater than themselves. … They woke up one morning, they signed on the dotted line, they put their right hand up, and they chose to serve their country. And that's an experience that Donald Trump has not had."
McCain stated he switched his political affiliation from independent to Democrat and intends to vote for Harris in November. He added that he "would get involved in any way I could" to help Harris' campaign.
Tension between the McCain family and Trump goes back several years. Trump garnered backlash in 2015 when he said that John McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war, was "not a war hero" because "he was captured," adding that "I like people who weren't captured."
John McCain's daughter, conservative commentator Meghan McCain, while a critic of Trump, has not endorsed Harris and has indicated that she will not despite external pressure to do so.
"Please stop trying to turn me into a progressive. It's a fever dream," McCain posted on X. "I'm a lifelong, generational conservative."
On Aug. 26, the third anniversary of a suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed 13 American soldiers, Trump went to ANC and laid a wreath in memory of the fallen servicemembers.
The day after, National Public Radio published an article alleging that a "verbal and physical altercation" had taken place between Trump campaign staff and an ANC official over whether it was lawful for the campaign to film and take photographs in that part of the cemetery.
While cemetery officials said filming by political campaigns was prohibited at the grounds, others, including Trump campaign staffer Steven Cheung, claimed they were given permission to do so.
Five family members of two of the 13 servicemembers killed released a statement on Truth Social expressing gratitude to Trump for his attendance at the gathering.
"The president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children," they stated.
"We had given our approval for President Trump's official videographer and photographer to attend the event, ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured and so we can cherish these memories forever."
The family members of the fallen soldiers concluded by saying that Trump's "compassion and respect meant more than words can express."
