Trump on McCain Diss: 'I Will Say What I Want to Say'

The Donald doubles down, won't be apologizing to former POW
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 19, 2015 10:17 AM CDT
Trump on McCain Diss: 'I Will Say What I Want to Say'
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, Saturday, July 18, 2015.   (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Donald Trump does what he wants, and what he apparently wants is near-universal condemnation—including that of the vast and diverse field of fellow Republican presidential contenders, which has apparently found one thing they can agree on, and that is Trump's attack on John McCain's time as a POW while serving in Vietnam. After yesterday dismissing McCain as "a war hero because he got captured. I like people who weren't captured," Trump clarified last night that "I am not a fan of John McCain because he has done so little for our Veterans.." This morning, Trump told ABC News that he didn't owe McCain an apology ("No, not at all," he said), and notes the AP, "I say what I want to say." Some of his rivals' reactions, per Vanity Fair and Politico:

  • Bobby Jindal: "After Donald Trump spends six years in a POW camp, he can weigh in on John McCain's military service."
  • Rick Santorum: " @SenJohnMcCain is an American hero, period."
  • Jeb Bush: "Enough with the slanderous attacks. @ SenJohnMcCain and all our veterans - particularly POWs have earned our respect and admiration.
  • Lindsey Graham: "If there was ever any doubt that @realDonaldTrump should not be our commander in chief, this stupid statement should end all doubt."
  • Rick Perry: "As a fellow veteran I respect @SenJohnMcCain because he volunteered to serve his country. I cannot say the same about Mr. @realDonaldTrump."
  • And Hillary Clinton: "Donald Trump, finally a candidate whose hair gets more attention than mine. But there’s nothing funny about the hate he is spewing at immigrants and families—and now the insults he has directed at a genuine war hero, Sen. John McCain."
(More Donald Trump stories.)

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