President Donald Trump could not get the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) out of his craw on Wednesday, going on an extended riff on how he approved the funeral McCain wanted and lamenting that he was never thanked.
“I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as President I had to approve,” Trump said at a speech at a factory in Lima, Ohio. “I don’t care about this, I didn’t get a thank you, but that’s okay. We sent him on the way but I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”
It isn’t entirely clear what Trump is talking about here, but it could be a reference to the permission he gave for military transportation of McCain’s body from Arizona to D.C. and for military pallbearers, band support and a horse.
Trump then complained about the press always asking him questions about McCain, a grievance he aired during a speech in which he started up on McCain without any prompting.
McCain famously did not invite Trump to his funeral at the National Cathedral, but asked former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush to give eulogies.
Trump takes credit for giving McCain funeral he wanted, says he "didn't get a thank you" pic.twitter.com/aJQ27RvzX1
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) March 20, 2019