It was a humid July afternoon in Ames, Iowa, back in 2015. The political world was still trying to figure out if Donald Trump’s presidential run was a serious bid or a high-octane branding exercise. Then, he sat down with Frank Luntz at the Family Leadership Summit, and everything shifted.
Honestly, it’s one of those moments that feels like a fever dream now, but it basically set the tone for the next decade of American discourse. When Luntz called Senator John McCain a "war hero," Trump didn't just disagree. He went for the jugular.
"He’s not a war hero," Trump said. Then, as the room kind of tightened up with a mix of gasps and silence, he doubled down: "He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured."
The "War Hero" Remark That Changed Everything
You’ve probably seen the clip. It’s grainy now, but the impact hasn't faded. Trump wasn't just attacking a political opponent; he was taking a sledgehammer to the untouchable status of a POW. McCain had spent five and a half years in the "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam War. He’d been beaten. He’d been tortured. He’d famously refused early release because he wouldn't leave his fellow soldiers behind.
But Trump’s comments on John McCain weren't just about military service. They were about the "loser" label. Earlier in that same interview, Trump mentioned that he’d raised a million dollars for McCain’s 2008 presidential run. "He lost," Trump told the crowd. "He let us down. I never liked him as much after that, 'cause I don't like losers."
It was a wild moment. The Republican establishment expected Trump to implode right then and there. They thought insulting a veteran—especially one as revered as McCain—was the ultimate third rail. Instead, Trump’s poll numbers went up. It turned out his base didn't mind the "tone" that people like Jeb Bush were complaining about. They liked that he was saying the quiet parts out loud.
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The Feud Didn't Die with the Campaign
If you think the bad blood stopped once Trump got into the White House, you’d be wrong. It actually got weirder and more personal.
By 2017, McCain was battling terminal brain cancer, yet he still found the strength to walk onto the Senate floor at 1:00 AM. In a scene straight out of a movie, he gave a literal thumbs-down to the "Skinny Repeal" of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). That one gesture effectively killed a core Trump campaign promise.
Trump never forgot it. Even after McCain passed away in August 2018, the attacks continued. He complained about the flags being at half-staff. He even went on a 800-word rant at a tank factory in Ohio seven months after the Senator died.
"I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted," Trump told a group of workers in Lima, Ohio. "I didn’t get 'thank you.' That’s okay. We sent him on the way. But I wasn’t a fan of John McCain."
The reality? Trump didn't "give" him the funeral. He signed off on the military transport of the body, which is standard procedure, but the family made it very clear that Trump wasn't invited to the actual service at the National Cathedral. Instead, McCain invited George W. Bush and Barack Obama—the two men who had actually defeated him in his runs for president—to give the eulogies. It was a final, pointed message about civility and "country first."
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Beyond the Public Stage: The Atlantic Report
Things took an even darker turn in 2020. The Atlantic published a bombshell report alleging that Trump had referred to fallen American service members as "losers" and "suckers" during a 2018 trip to France.
According to the report, when McCain died, Trump reportedly told his senior staff, "We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral." He was also said to be furious when he saw flags lowered to half-staff, reportedly asking, "What the f*** are we doing that for? Guy was a f***ing loser."
Trump has vehemently denied these specific quotes, calling the story "fake news" and "a disgrace." He swore on "whatever or whoever" he had to that he never called fallen soldiers anything but heroes. But Miles Taylor, who was the DHS Chief of Staff at the time, corroborated parts of the story, saying Trump was indeed angry about the flags.
Why This Still Matters
It’s easy to dismiss this as old news, but the tension between the "Trump wing" and the "McCain wing" of the GOP is basically the story of the modern Republican Party. McCain represented the old-school, institutionalist approach—reaching across the aisle, following Senate norms, and treating political rivals with a certain level of decorum. Trump represented a total break from that.
When Trump attacked McCain’s war record, he was testing a new kind of political gravity. He proved that you could attack a "sacred cow" and not only survive but thrive. It changed the rules of the game.
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Breaking Down the Misconceptions
A lot of people think the feud started in 2015, but it actually goes back a bit further. It sort of simmered during the 2012 election and really boiled over when McCain criticized Trump's rhetoric on immigration, saying he "fired up the crazies" at a Phoenix rally. Trump’s "war hero" comment was a direct retaliation for that "crazies" remark.
Also, for the record: Trump frequently claimed McCain graduated "last in his class" at the Naval Academy. He didn't. He graduated 894th out of 899. So, fifth from the bottom—which, okay, isn't great, but it’s not last.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re trying to wrap your head around the current state of American politics, understanding the Trump-McCain rift is essential. It’s the origin story for much of the internal GOP conflict we see today.
- Read the primary sources: Don't just take a pundit's word for it. Look up the transcript of the 2015 Family Leadership Summit. Seeing the full context of how the conversation moved from "dummy" to "war hero" is eye-opening.
- Watch the eulogies: Go back and watch the eulogies given by Obama and Bush at McCain’s funeral. They are a masterclass in how political rivals can respect each other, and they serve as a direct counter-narrative to Trump’s style of politics.
- Track the policy impact: Look at how the "thumbs down" vote affected healthcare in the U.S. It wasn't just a personal snub; it was a decision that affected millions of lives and shaped the legislative landscape for years.
Basically, this wasn't just a spat between two powerful men. It was a clash of two entirely different philosophies of what it means to lead. One valued the institution and the sacrifice; the other valued the win and the strength. We're still living in the fallout of that collision.