Trump Offers Surprising Response After McCain Asks For Apology To POWs

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is not known to mince words when it comes to things he believes. Last summer, this character trait got him in hot water when he said of Arizona Sen. John McCain, “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, OK? I hate to tell you.”

Many people were appalled that Trump would say such a thing about McCain, who was severely tortured during more than five years as a captive at the infamous Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War, and that Trump didn’t apologize.

During a radio interview Wednesday with Don Imus, Trump insisted that he did, in fact, apologize. “Well I’ve actually done that, Don,” he said. “You know frankly, I like John McCain, and John McCain is a hero. Also, heroes are people that are, you know, whether they get caught or don’t get caught — they’re all heroes as far as I’m concerned. And that’s the way it should be.”

Trump was asked if he regretted making the comments. “I don’t, you know — I like not to regret anything,” he said. “I mean, you know, you do things and you say things, and what I said, frankly, is what I said. And, you know, some people like what I said, if you want to know the truth. I mean, there are many people that like what I said. You know after I said that, my poll numbers went up seven points.”

McCain said Sunday that he would still back Trump as the Republican nominee despite their animosity. However, he did express that he wished Trump would retract his statement about those who were captured.

“What he said about me, John McCain, that’s fine,” the senator said. “I don’t require any repair of that. But when he said, ‘I don’t like people who were captured,’ then there’s a great body of American heroes that I’d like to see him retract that statement.”

Trump later told Imus how he helped to build the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial — the billionaire donated $1 million for the project in 1983 — but reiterated that he thought the conflict was a terrible decision. “The Vietnam War was a war that was a mistake,” he said. “It was a big, big mistake. A horrible mistake. Just like Iraq was a mistake.”

h/t: Politico

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.