Bridget McCain, the youngest daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), broke her public silence on Thursday to defend her father against President Trump’s attacks.
Bridget McCain, 27, issued a rare statement on Twitter after Trump’s latest criticism of her dad, who died of brain cancer in August.
“Everyone doesn’t have to agree with my dad or like him, but I do ask you to be decent and respectful,” the youngest of McCain’s seven children wrote. “If you can’t do those two things, be mindful. We only said goodbye to him almost 7 months ago.”
“Even if you were invited to my dad’s funeral, you would have only wanted to be there for the credit and not for any condolences,” she continued. “Unfortunately, you could not be counted on to be courteous, as you are a child in the most important role the world knows.”
She was referencing the president’s remarks, made during a speech at a tank factory in Lima, Ohio, on Thursday, in which he complained about not getting a “thank you” after approving McCain’s funeral.
{mosads}”I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve. I don’t care about this, I didn’t get a thank you. That’s OK,” Trump said.
“We sent him on the way, but I wasn’t a fan of John McCain.”
Trump was not invited the McCain’s service in Washington, D.C. Former presidents George W. Bush and Obama both delivered eulogies.
The youngest McCain, adopted from Bangladesh, has spent less time in the public eye than her oldest sister Meghan McCain.
Meghan McCain, a conservative commentator and co-host of “The View,” frequently criticizes the president and speaks openly about her father.
She applauded her “very private” younger sister.
“I think it’s very brave of her,” Meghan McCain said on the talk show Thursday. “She’s very young and she does not speak publicly.”
Meghan McCain said it is “extremely emotionally exhausting” to have the president continually attack her father after his death.
“I don’t expect decency and compassion from the Trump family,” she said. “I do want to thank the American public for all the decency and compassion they have given us.”
“Do not feel sorry for my family,” she added.
A number of Republican lawmakers came to McCain’s defense on Wednesday, following Trump’s multiple attacks on the former Arizona Republican senator in recent days.