FLASHBACK: Ailing Senator McCain organises own funeral, bars Donald Trump from attending
- US Senator McCain who died on Saturday August 25 had reportedly planned his funeral
- Sources close him reported that he did not invite President Trump to the planned funeral
- Senator McCain and Trump have had a turbulent relationship, especially since 2016
- While no funeral plans has been announced by his family, it is not clear if Trump will attend
Senator John McCain, who was the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, is reportedly organising his funeral and has allegedly barred President Donald Trump from attending when he dies.
People close to Senator McCain have told the White House that the ailing Arizona Republican does not want President Trump to attend his funeral and would like Vice President Mike Pence to come instead, NBC News reports.
The US senator died on Satuday August 25 at the age of 81
Sen. John McCain has had a turbulent relationship with President Trump since 2016. Photo credit: NBC News
McCain, 81, has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for nearly a year and is back home in Arizona after he underwent surgery last month for an intestinal infection.
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The senator reportedly said in an audio excerpt this week of his forthcoming memoir, "I don't know how much longer I'll be here," according to a clip aired by NPR.
McCain's wish for Trump to skip his funeral comes as the two men have had a turbulent relationship, particularly since the 2016 presidential primary when Trump said McCain was considered a war hero only "because he was captured" during the Vietnam War and that Trump preferred military figures who avoided being taken prisoner by the enemy.
Last summer, Trump blasted McCain for his "no" vote that helped doom a key Obamacare repeal bill in the Senate.
Friends of McCain have visited him recently in Arizona, including former Vice President Joe Biden.
McCain, who has served in the Senate since 1987 and in the House before that, has not returned to Capitol Hill for several months due to his cancer treatment.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush plan to be eulogists at McCain's funeral service, which is to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the source close to McCain said.
Recall that Trump did not attend the recent funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush in Houston, Texas, in order "to avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family and friends attending the service," the White House said last month.
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First lady Melania Trump attended the service instead, along with former Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton.
NAIJ.com previously reported that President Trump and first lady Melania, former presidents and first ladies Barack Obama and Michelle, and Bill Clinton and Hillary were among dignitaries that mourned former first lady Barbara Bush.
A spokesman for the family, Jim McGrath, announced Barbara’s death on Tuesday, April 17, at the age of 92, after a series of recent hospitalisation.
Trump ordered flags be flown at half-mast in her honour. The president recalled Bush for her commitment to spreading literacy, and as an “advocate of the American family.”
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Source: Naija.ng