John McCain's son Jimmy condemns Donald Trump's Arlington National Cemetery photo ops

Jimmy McCain said Donald Trump is unable to understand the pain of the families of the martyrs
PUBLISHED SEP 3, 2024
John McCain's youngest son, Jimmy McCain, a combat veteran, slammed Donald Trump over Arlington National Cemetery political campaign (@IRITV1/YouTube, Getty Images)
John McCain's youngest son, Jimmy McCain, a combat veteran, slammed Donald Trump over Arlington National Cemetery political campaign (@IRITV1/YouTube, Getty Images)

CORNVILLE, ARIZONA: Former president Donald Trump was ripped by John McCain's (R-AZ) youngest son, Jimmy McCain for controversial Arlington cemetery campaign photo ops.

Jimmy, who has served in the military since he was 17, expressed his shock and disappointment over what occurred in the cemetery.

Jimmy McCain is blown away by Donald Trump’s Arlington photo op

Jimmy McCain didn’t hold back in his criticism of Donald Trump. “It just blows me away,” he said in an interview with CNN referring to Trump's alleged political campaign at Arlington National Cemetery.

Jimmy’s outrage was heightened because, at the time of the photo op, he had just returned from a seven-month deployment to a small US base on the Jordan-Syria border where three service members were killed in a drone attack.

“It was a violation,” he said. “That mother, that sister, those families, see that — and it’s a painful experience."

“These men and women that are laying in the ground there have no choice” about whether they wanted to be part of the campaign, Jimmy added.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 05:  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a press conference at the U.S.
John McCain's (R-AZ) (Pictured) youngest son, Jimmy McCain, decried Donald Trump's actions at Arlington National Cemetery (Getty Images)

"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." Jimmy added.

Jimmy McCain says Donald Trump doesn't understand sacrifices of service members

Jimmy McCain expressed that the experiences and sacrifices of American soldiers are completely foreign to someone like Donald Trump.

“Many of these men and women, who served their country, chose to do something greater than themselves,” he said.

Jimmy explained that these service members “woke up one morning, they signed on the dotted line, they put their right hand up, and they chose to serve their country.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 26: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump stands alongside Misty Fuoco, whose sister Sgt. Nicole Gee died in Abbey Gate Bombing, at a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. Monday marks three years since the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 American service members. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Jimmy McCain expressed that the experiences and sacrifices of American soldiers are completely foreign to someone like Donald Trump (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

He believes this is an experience Trump has never had, adding, “I think that might be something that he thinks about a lot.”

Democrat Jimmy McCain reflects on Donald Trump's attack on his father John McCain

Jimmy McCain’s decision to speak out reflects a shift away from his family’s conservative roots.

He has recently registered as a Democrat and plans to vote for Kamala Harris in November. He also expressed his willingness to support her campaign, saying he “would get involved in any way I could” to help her.

Although Jimmy has mostly stayed out of politics until now, Trump’s previous attacks on his father, Senator John McCain, deeply affected him.

Trump once claimed that John was “not a war hero” because he was captured in Vietnam and reportedly called him a “loser.”

PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 29: Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, touches the casket during a me
Meghan McCain recently stated that she's 'a lifelong, generational conservative' (Getty Images)

While these comments were personally painful, Jimmy said, “One thing about John McCain is that he chose a public life" adding, “So to attack him is really not out of the realm of his job description.” 

While other members of the McCain family, including his mother Cindy and sister Meghan, have distanced themselves from Trump, Jimmy is the only one to have publicly left the Republican Party.



 

Despite her strong criticisms of Trump, Meghan recently stated that she would not endorse Harris, tweeting, “I’m a lifelong, generational conservative.”

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