Cindy McCain endorses Biden
Cindy McCain endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president on Tuesday.
“My husband John lived by a code: country first,” McCain tweeted. “We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There’s only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden.”
Her announcement came a few hours after Biden said McCain would be endorsing him during a virtual fundraiser. Biden said at the event that the widow of Republican Sen. John McCain decided to support him following a damning report by The Atlantic that said President Donald Trump had called fallen war veterans “suckers.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I’m about to go on one of these Zooms with John McCain’s wife, who is, first time ever, is endorsing me because of what he talks about with my son and John’s who are heroes, who served their country, you know he said they’re losers, they’re suckers,” Biden said according to a pool report of the event.
The Atlantic article said Trump had shown disdain toward American soldiers who had died in service and confusion as to why they would sacrifice themselves for their country. The White House has repeatedly denied the account, but that hasn’t stopped Biden from expressing his outrage at the alleged remarks.
Trump has also repeatedly expressed his dislike for John McCain, going so far in 2015 as to say that the former Vietnam prisoner of war was “no hero” and that “I like people who weren’t captured.” More recently, he’s repeated that he was never a fan of the Arizona senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee, who died Aug. 25, 2018.
McCain and Biden shared two decades in the Senate together. Cindy McCain spoke about their friendship in a tribute during the Democratic National Convention, where she also touted Biden’s ability to work across the aisle and prioritize national security.
“Cindy — I’m deeply honored to have your support and your friendship,” Biden tweeted after McCain expressed her support on Tuesday. “This election is bigger than any one political party. It requires all of us to come together as one America to restore the soul of the nation. Together, we’ll get it done.”
More than 100 former McCain staffers also joined a chorus of Republican staffers in endorsing Biden last month, despite having worked to beat him when he was the vice presidential nominee in 2008.
“Given the incumbent president’s lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values,” they wrote in their endorsement, “we believe the election of former Vice President Biden is clearly in the national interest.”
