Today's Talker: Trump looks small compared with McCain

Thursday, May 30

'The White House wanted the USS John McCain out of sight during Trump's visit to Japan and the U.S. Navy complied. For shame,' says Laurie Roberts.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that "well-meaning" aides tried to shield him from view of a battleship named USS John S. McCain during a recent visit to Japan.

USS John S. McCain insult makes Trump look small

By Laurie Roberts

Sen. John McCain of Arizona may be nine months in his grave, yet still he is making Donald Trump look like a presidential pygmy.

The president's blood feud with a man who no longer can fight back continues this month as the White House instructed the Navy to move the USS John S. McCain "out of sight" for Trump's visit to Japan, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Let me just repeat that: The White House and lower-level Navy officials wanted to hide the name of a Navy pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam and tortured while being held for more than five years as a prisoner of war.

This, because our president prefers "people who weren't captured."

People who don't dare speak truth to power ... about women, Latinos, foreign policy and especially Russia.

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People who don't spend the final year of their life pleading for this nation and its leaders to live up to our ideals, recalling what America represents and repudiating Trump and the nationalist wave he rode in on.

Clearly, McCain's remarks stung Trump.

Trump's feud with McCain began when McCain shunned and later panned Trump's first Phoenix campaign rally. ("He fired up the crazies," McCain said.)

And it ends … never.

In February, Trump was griping about McCain's 2017 vote against a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

In March, Trump was still griping about that vote and assorted other things and felt the need to tweet out that McCain was "last in his class" at the U.S. Naval Academy. (He wasn't.)

And harrumphing that he "had to" give McCain "the kind of funeral that he wanted" and never got any thanks from the family. (He did.)

Now, we try to hide McCain's name on a warship because, what, President Bone Spurs' eyes would bleed if he saw it?

According to The Journal, Navy and Air Force officials received an email on May 15 listing needed preparations for Trump's visit. No. 3 on the list was that the USS McCain be "out of sight." The warship was stationed at the Yokosuka base near the USS Wasp, where Trump spoke on Memorial Day.

"Please confirm #3 will be satisfied," a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official wrote, adding that he was working with the White House Military Office to obtain more information.

The Journal reported that Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was aware of the concern about the USS McCain's presence in Japan and "approved measures" so it wouldn't interfere with the president's trip.

The word "disgraceful" doesn't even begin to cover it.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he had nothing to do with hiding the McCain vessel. Or giving sailors, who wear caps bearing the name McCain, the day off. Or moving a barge near the ship to make it harder to see from the USS Wasp.

Hard to believe the military wanted to dis three generations of McCains all on its own.

Meghan McCain, who like her father never backs down from a fight, didn't let this slight go. "Trump is a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dad's incredible life. There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won't let him (rest in peace). So I have to stand up for him. It makes my grief unbearable," she tweeted.

Good for her.

It has now been 278 days since Republican Sen. John McCain died. That is far too long for a president, who presumably has other things to do, to continue his blood feud with a statesman now dead and buried.

Let it go, Mr. President. Even in death, John McCain is making you look small.

Laurie Roberts is a columnist at The Arizona Republic, where this column first appeared. You can follow her on Twitter: @LaurieRoberts.

Trump's McCain obsession

Patrick Chappatte/The New York Times/PoliticalCartoons.com

What others are saying

President Donald Trump, Twitter: "I was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan. Nevertheless, (first lady Melania Trump) and I loved being with our great military men and women — what a spectacular job they do!"

Meghan McCain, "The View" on ABC: "The president's actions have consequences. And when you repeatedly are attacking my father and war heroes, it creates a culture in the military where people are clearly fearful to show my father's name."

Navy Chief of Information, Twitter: "The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the (president's) visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage."

What our readers are saying

The sheer degree of President Donald Trump's Titanic — yet, painfully fragile — ego knows no bounds. His emotional development clearly and abruptly stopped at about 5 years of age.

— Michael Anthony Shea

Well, of course the president had nothing to do with having the USS John S. McCain "out of sight." Trump can't get over his envy of those who served our country with honor.

— Mary Melcher

Why would Trump care where the USS McCain was? Additionally, the ship was named after the late Sen. John McCain's father and grandfather.

— Gil Fidler

Regardless of whether Trump knew of the efforts to keep the vessel "out of sight" or not, it's pathetic that his cronies thought this was something they needed to do. They just know how much of a fragile child Trump is. Trump couldn't possibly be more unfit to be president.

— Steve Byers

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