John McCain Responds To Donald Trump’s Comments

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has somehow managed to create new headlines for controversial statements when he said, regarding Senator John McCain at a recent stop in Iowa, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, ok? ”

The Arizona senator broke his silence on the matter when he stopped by MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday morning. When host Joe Scarborough asked Senator McCain if he was angry that his service was being questioned by a man who not only didn’t serve in Vietnam, but received several deferments to avoid being sent overseas, McCain took the high road, saying, “For me to look back in anger at anyone is nonproductive. Our country was divided in almost an unprecedented fashion during the Vietnam War and when I came home I was shocked. And so I’ve worked ever since to try to heal those wounds. I spend time with veterans. I do everything I can to help them."

McCain said Trump owed him no apologies, but he did to the families of those who have served and have been prisoners of war. The Republican senator also said he’s not a hero, "Who are the real heroes? They’re the 55,000 names that are down on the wall engraved in black granite that I stop by sometimes in the morning and when the sun’s going down.”

McCain, who angered Trump when he characterized Trump’s immigration comments as something that was “firing up the crazies,” was then asked about the billionaire reality tv star’s ascent in national polls. McCain said, “Well, it’ll be interesting to see how, one, what the number is after these comments of his, but I can assure you, if you talk to our veterans, I’ve had a flood of calls from our veterans, they’re not happy.”