Meghan McCain gave the first remarks at a memorial service on Saturday honoring the life of her late father John McCain, who died of brain cancer on August 25. In an emotional eulogy delivered in Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, Meghan lauded McCain as a “great man” and hit directly at President Donald Trump, who had previously mocked McCain’s reputation as a war hero.
“We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness,” Meghan said. “The real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.”
The comment refers to the four draft deferments that Trump used to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, as well as his popular “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. Meghan recalled the slogan later in the speech by saying, “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”
McCain, a two-time presidential candidate who served as Republican senator of Arizona from 1987 until his death, spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Trump had feuded publicly with McCain, and in 2015, he attacked his status as a decorated war hero, claiming, “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
According to reports, McCain explicitly asked that the President not attend his funeral services, which spanned several days. Although Trump was not there, Saturday’s service included many members of Congress and former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who also eulogized McCain at the late senator’s request.
His memory has been honored by several other politicians, among them Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan. In Washington, McCain’s life was commemorated by an elaborate memorial service that included a procession with a stop in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On Saturday, his casket was escorted into the National Cathedral by military bearers.
Meghan has publicly spoken of her close-knit relationship to her father, and she recalled their moments together during her eulogy. She invoked both his leadership skills and family values, calling him an “exception.”
“We live in an era where we knock down old American heroes for all their imperfections. When no leader wants to admit to fault or failure,” she said. “You were an exception, and you gave us an ideal to strive for. Look, I know you can see this gathering here in this cathedral. The nation is here to remember you.”
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