President Donald Trump Slammed for Praising Kanye West, Ignoring John McCain's Failing Health

President Donald Trump was criticized for not mentioning Sen. John McCain once during a speech for [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

President Donald Trump was criticized for not mentioning Sen. John McCain once during a speech for the Ohio Republican Party Friday night, but taking time to praise rapper Kanye West and his "good wife" Kim Kardashian.

"Now we're doing great and Kanye West liked me and that really lifted my... Kanye West has some real power," Trump said of the rapper, reports Entertainment Tonight. "He's got a good wife too, in Kim, I'll tell ya. She really is [great]."

West has been a vocal Trump supporter in the past year, while his wife famously visited the White House to ask for clemency for Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving life in prison without parole for a non-violent drug offence.

"She did a great thing. She did a great thing," Trump said Friday. "The person was in jail on a very strange thing. She was there for 22 years and it was based largely on a phone call that they were listening to and she had another 24 years."

Although the speech came on the same day McCain's family announced that the Arizona senator would no longer be receiving treatment for brain cancer, Trump never mentioned him.

Trump and McCain have had a difficult relationship ever since Trump said he did not consider the former Prisoner of War a hero in 2015. The President has also criticized McCain in the past for being the voting against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

The bad blood even continued when Trump refused to say McCain's name when he signed a military spending bill named in McCain's honor earlier this month.

According to White House officials who spoke to the Washington Post Saturday, Trump does not want to say anything about McCain before McCain's death, even as other politicians on both sides of the aisle voice their support, and he still does not regret the "not a war hero" comment. Trump was even reportedly disinvited from McCain's funeral. The White House also never issued a statement on McCain's health Friday.

The Post reports that Trump told his advisers he believes McCain should retire to allow Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, to appoint a replacement before McCain's term is over in 2020.

In another infamous episode, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Trump did not apologize after aide Kelly Sadler said McCain's opposition to CIA director Gina Haspel's nomination did not matter because "he's going to die anyway." Sadler later left the White House, but it was reportedly not because of the remark.

Trump's comments during Friday's speech praising West and ignoring McCain did not sit well with his critics.

"Nothing but respect for John McCain. A dedicated life of service to his country. Donald Trump would do well to take even a sentence from a page of John McCain's book," filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted.

"President Trump gave shout outs to Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and sent his 'warmest regards' to Kim Jong Un, but hours after a national bipartisan outpouring of support: not a word about Senator John McCain," Michael Del Moro, a Morning Joe booking producer, tweeted.

"The fact that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have tweeted well wishes to John McCain and his family but Donald Trump still hasn't said a word tells you all you need to know about our president," Andrew Weinstein, a Democratic Party lawyer, wrote.

His family said Friday that his cancer took a turn for the worse and he has already "surpassed expectations for survival."

"With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment," McCain's family said. "Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John's many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all."

McCain turns 82 on Aug. 29.

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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