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LeadershipVietnam War

John McCain Took a Swipe At Trump’s Dubious Vietnam War Deferment

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Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
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By
Natasha Bach
Natasha Bach
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October 23, 2017, 5:06 AM ET
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McCain strikes again.

Not even a week after Senator John McCain made a speech against the administration’s “half-baked, spurious nationalism,” he has struck out once again—aiming directly for President Trump.

In a C-SPAN interview about the Vietnam War that aired Sunday night, McCain made a swipe at wealthy Americans who were able to afford to dodge the draft. While he did not mention Trump explicitly by name, he made a pointed comment that appeared to implicate the current president.

Read: John McCain Rails Against “Half-Baked, Spurious Nationalism” as He Accepts the Liberty Medal

“One aspect of the conflict, by the way, that I will never, ever countenance is that we drafted the lowest income level of America and the highest income level found a doctor that would say that they had a bone spur,” McCain said.

TONIGHT – @SenJohnMcCain talks about the Vietnam War's legacy on C-SPAN, at 6 & 10pm ET. pic.twitter.com/WnZT0n8Mcn

— American History TV (@cspanhistory) October 22, 2017

Trump, who attended the private New York Military Academy, received five deferments during Vietnam—four for his studies, and the last one? For bone spurs in his heel.

Read: ‘Bigotry Seems Emboldened.’ Read George W. Bush’s Speech Attacking Nationalism in Politics

McCain, on the other hand, spent five years as a prisoner of war during Vietnam. Since the early days of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, the president has questioned McCain’s status as a war hero and refused to apologize for the statements he has made to that effect.

 

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