Article Summary –
Jim McCain, son of former Senator John McCain, endorsed Kamala Harris for President, criticizing former President Trump’s actions and further distancing his family from the Republican Party. McCain cited Trump’s disrespectful behavior at Arlington National Cemetery and ongoing conflicts with his late father as key reasons for his departure from the GOP. This rift showcases a broader divide within the party and highlights the impact of Trump and his allies’ attacks on the McCain family, which have influenced recent electoral outcomes, including Biden’s victory in Arizona and Kari Lake’s gubernatorial loss.
The son of former Sen. John McCain endorsed Kamala Harris for President Tuesday, signaling a sharp rebuke of his father’s party and the ongoing influence of the McCain family.
Jim McCain, a US Marines intelligence officer, cited the Trump campaign’s bullying at Arlington National Cemetery as the final straw breaking his loyalty to the Republican Party. Former President Donald Trump staged an illegal photo op at the military gravesite in late August, according to the US Army.
When onsite staff tried to intervene, Trump’s team physically assaulted a female employee. Those involved declined to press charges, fearing violence from Trump supporters.
“It just blows me away,” McCain said in an interview with CNN. “For anyone who’s done a lot of time in their uniform, they understand it’s about those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”
The Party of Disunity
The divide between the Republican Party and the McCain family highlights a fracture between traditional conservatives and Trump’s far-right movement. Groups of Republicans supporting Harris are growing in Arizona and nationwide, while similar Democratic efforts for Republican candidates have floundered.
Trump’s feud with the McCain family began in 2015 when he dismissed John McCain’s 23 years in the US Navy because he was a prisoner of war. McCain’s aircraft was shot down in 1967 during the Vietnam War, and he was imprisoned for six years.
“My dad was a good man who did his part,” Jim McCain said. “Hearing Trump call him a loser because he was captured—I can’t overlook that.”
Electoral Consequences Ongoing
Tensions persisted until McCain’s death in 2018, but Trump continued to disparage him posthumously. In 2022, Kari Lake prematurely boasted that she and Trump ended the McCain family’s influence on Arizona politics.
“We may have won this battle, but we didn’t kill the McCain influence,” Lake said. Attacks on the McCain family have been attributed to Biden’s victory in Arizona in 2020 and Lake’s loss in 2022.
Jim McCain is the first to endorse a candidate for 2024; his sister Meghan won’t vote for Biden or Trump, and their mother Cindy supported Biden in 2020 and now serves as the executive director of the World Food Programme.
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