Real estate mogul Donald Trump has no regrets for calling Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a loser for being a prisoner of war.
In an appearance on Wednesday’s “Imus in the Morning,” Trump was asked by host Don Imus if he regretted his comments on McCain.
“I don’t, you know — I like not to regret anything,” Trump responded. “You do things and you say things. And what I said, frankly, is what I said. And some people like what I said, if you want to know the truth. There are many people that like what I said. You know after I said that, my poll numbers went up seven points.”
Trump also claimed that some people “liked” his comments and then pivoted to lavishing praise on McCain.
“I like John McCain, in my eyes John McCain is a hero,” Trump said. “John McCain’s a good guy.”
Trump’s infamous comments on McCain occurred back in July, when he shocked everyone by saying that McCain isn’t a war hero.
“He was a war hero because he was captured,” Trump said. “I like people who weren’t captured.”
Here’s a little snippet about what life for McCain was like when he was captured by the North Vietnamese:
They took me out of my room to “Slopehead,” who said, “You have violated all the camp regulations. You’re a black criminal. You must confess your crimes.” I said that I wouldn’t do that, and he asked, “Why are you so disrespectful of guards?” I answered, “Because the guards treat me like an animal.”
When I said that, the guards, who were all in the room—about 10 of them—really laid into me. They bounced me from pillar to post, kicking and laughing and scratching. After a few hours of that, ropes were put on me and I sat that night bound with ropes. Then I was taken to a small room. For punishment they would almost always take you to another room where you didn’t have a mosquito net or a bed or any clothes. For the next four days, I was beaten every two to three hours by different guards. My left arm was broken again and my ribs were cracked.
“For the next four days, I was beaten every two to three hours by different guards. My left arm was broken again and my ribs were cracked.”
non-hero John McCain, according to Donald Trump
Naturally, Trump’s comments on McCain were met with derision on all sides, but Trump never apologized and even denied that he ever said that McCain isn’t a war hero, as he said at a press conference afterward: “If somebody’s a prisoner, I consider them a war hero.”
Yet Trump’s poll numbers never dropped, and now he’s the presumptive nominee, and McCain has said that he will support Trump since McCain himself is running for re-election in his Senate seat. This is what happens when people aren’t held accountable for their words: they have no regrets about any wrongdoing.