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Everyone who knew anything assumed that attacking Mc-
Cain’s five years spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam—a
time that left the Arizona Republican with lifelong wounds—
was a death sentence of Trump’s political ambitions. . . .
Except it didn’t destroy Trump. For all the hand-wringing
and predictions of doom for his campaign, he just kept
right on going—first to the Republican presidential nomi-
nation and then to the White House. For many of his sup-
porters, Trump’s broadsides against McCain were music to
their ears—finally someone was standing up to the political
establishment in Washington! . . . But what Trump’s com-
ments about McCain should remind us of is this: Whether
there is political gain to be found in dishonoring a lifelong
public servant, it is simply wrong. It is not who we are—or
who we should be.
9
Aggressiveness and False Claims
Any thoughts that Trump might soften his rhetoric as president were
soon dashed. If anything, he has been more combative in office than
on the campaign trail. He relentlessly promotes himself and trashes
his enemies. He calls Democratic senator Bernie Sanders “Crazy
Bernie” or “the Nutty Professor.” Democratic senator Elizabeth War-
ren, who made headlines for claiming Na-
tive American heritage, is “Pocahontas.”
He has tried to bully federal judges, for-
eign leaders, corporate chief executive
officers (CEOs), lawmakers in both par-
ties, agency heads, and union bosses. He
has blasted the
New York Times
as a fail-
ing enterprise and labeled Ann Coulter, a
conservative critic, as a “wacky nut job.”
10
Trump even attacked basketball superstar
LeBron James after James criticized him
during an interview on CNN.
“But what Trump’s
comments about McCain
should remind us of is
this: Whether there is
political gain to be found in
dishonoring a lifelong public
servant, it is simply wrong.
It is not who we are—or
who we should be.”
9
—CNN opinion writer Chris Cillizza
