Hillary Clinton Condemns Donald Trump’s ‘Insults’ of ‘Genuine War Hero’ John McCain
"It's shameful," she said.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — -- Leave it to Donald Trump to help Republicans and Democrats find common ground.
Hillary Clinton joined the chorus of presidential candidates from both parties Saturday to condemn Trump for saying Sen. John McCain, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, was not a war hero.
During her headlining speech at a Democratic dinner in Little Rock, Ark. Clinton called Trump’s assertion “shameful” and described McCain as a “genuine war hero.”
“Donald Trump, finally a candidate whose hair gets more attention that mine,” Clinton quipped.
“But, there’s nothing funny about the hate he is spewing at immigrants and their families, and now the insults he’s directed at a genuine war hero, Senator John McCain,” she added. “It’s shameful, and so is the fact that it took so long for most of his fellow Republican candidates to start standing up to him.”
Earlier today, Trump came under fire for saying at a campaign event in Iowa that McCain is only a war hero “because he was captured.”
The comment has drawn criticism from a slew of his Republican presidential challengers, as well as Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry.
“I have known John McCain for more than thirty years. We've had our share of disagreements and still do today. But one thing I know is beyond debate is that John McCain is a hero, a man of grit and guts and character personified,” Kerry said in a statement released tonight.
McCain spent five and a half years as a POW after he was captured in 1967 while flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam. His aircraft was shot down by a missile and he nearly drowned landing in a lake. He had his shoulder crushed by his captors, who refused to treat his injuries, which were exacerbated by beatings administered during interrogations. He survived a program of severe torture and his wartime injuries restrict him from lifting his arms above his head.
Clinton made her attack against Trump during her first trip back to Arkansas since becoming a presidential candidate.
In her speech, Clinton attacked the GOP for being the “party of the past.” She also reminisced fondly about her years spent in Little Rock.
Looking out at the many familiar faces she saw in the crowd, Clinton thanked her longtime friends: “I hope you know that you mean the world to me and my family,” she said.