President Joe Biden honors John McCain: More details about new McCain National Library

President Joe Biden made a quick visit to the Phoenix area for a private campaign fundraiser and a public tribute to the legacy of John McCain, who represented Arizona for six terms in the U.S. Senate.

Biden, a longtime senator from Delaware, served with McCain for years. Then he and then-presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigned against McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, in the 2008 presidential race.

Biden's son, Beau, died of brain cancer like McCain, and Biden spoke at McCain's 2018 memorial service in Phoenix.

McCain's widow, Cindy, endorsed Biden for president against Donald Trump in 2020 and was appointed as a U.S. ambassador in his administration.

Here's a recap of the trip to honor McCain.

Presidential visit: Biden praises John McCain, excoriates Trump and 'MAGA extremists'

Library honoring McCain to include archives, think tank offices

The new McCain National Library announced by President Joe Biden in connection with his visit this week to Arizona will house the late Sen. John McCain’s archives, Arizona State University officials said.

The 80,000-square-foot library will include a visitor’s center and offices for the McCain Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. It will be located on a piece of land located near Mill Avenue and Curry Road, university officials said, across Tempe Town Lake and north of ASU’s Tempe campus.

There’s no timeline for the library’s development, officials said, but they plan to work with the McCain family, Gov. Katie Hobbs and community stakeholders in coming months to determine exact design and construction plans.

Meanwhile, ASU leaders intend to launch a fundraising campaign to support the project, which also will receive federal funds from a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed early in Biden’s presidency.

Ultimately, university officials said they envision the space as “a solutions center and gathering spot to learn more about leadership, democracy and national security.”

“John McCain is an important symbol of American democracy, and he holds a special place of respect and appreciation in Arizona and with Arizona State University,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “We will work with others around the country and in the community to take this unique portion of the ASU Tempe campus and create a place that honors his extraordinary life and legacy, serves the principles he devoted his life and career to, and carries that legacy forward for future generations to learn from.”

— Sasha Hupka

Handful of protesters demonstrate outside Biden event

About seven protestors stood across the street from the Tempe Center for the Arts on Rio Salado Parkway after President Joe Biden finished speaking about his late friend Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the threat to democracy posed by "MAGA extremists."

The group was decked out in red, white and blue clothing and carried two American flags, a "MAGA" flag and several signs, one of which said "Traitor Joe."

— Morgan Fischer

Biden blasts 'MAGA extremists' for undermining military

President Joe Biden condemned Thursday who he called "MAGA extremists" for hurting the U.S. military.

Speaking at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Biden zeroed in on former President Donald Trump for recently suggesting that Gen. Mark Milley, the outgoing chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved the death penalty. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., echoed Trump by saying Milley should be hanged.

"This is the United States of America. And although I don't believe even a majority of Republicans think that, the silence is deafening," Biden said. " ... Hardly any Republican called out such hated statements."

Biden also singled out for criticism Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who has been blocking military promotions in a dispute with the Pentagon over abortion travel policy.

"MAGA extremists claim support of our troops but they're harming military readiness, troop morale, freezing pay, freezing military families in limbo," he said.

Biden also recalled a report that said Trump referred to servicemembers and those killed and wounded in combat as "suckers and losers." And he referred to Trump's attempts to denigrate the late Sen. John McCain's military record. McCain, R-Ariz., was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967 and spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war.

"I'm not making this up. I know we all try not to remember, but that's what he said. He called servicemen suckers and losers," Biden said. "Was John a sucker? Was my son Beau, who lived next to a burn pit for a year, came home and died? Was he a sucker for volunteering to serve his country?"

The "MAGA extremists" have made it clear where they stand, so it's up to the rest of Americans to make it clear where they stand, Biden said.

— Dan Nowicki

Biden defends American Democracy, excoriates Trump and his supporters

Speaking in Tempe, President Joe Biden mounted a defense of American Democracy and blasted former President Donald Trump and the "MAGA Movement" as an existential threat.

"Seizing power. Concentrating power. Attempting to abuse power," Biden said. "Purging and packing key institutions. Spewing conspiracy theories. Spreading lies for profit and power to divide America in every way. Inciting violence against those who risk their lives to keep America safe. Weaponizing against the very soul of who we are as Americans.

"This MAGA threat is a threat to the brick and mortar of our democratic institutions, but it's also a threat to the character of our nation, that gives our Constitution life, that binds us together as Americans in common cause," he continued.

— Dan Nowicki

Cindy McCain recalls how Biden introduced her to John McCain

Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, recalled Thursday how now-President Joe Biden introduced her to her husband.

At the time, McCain, a former POW during the Vietnam War, was the U.S. Navy's liaison to the Senate. He was in Hawaii on his way to Asia with a Senate delegation. Cindy McCain was there on spring break with her parents. They all wound up at the same reception.

"During the course of that event, There were two people that came over to me and said you have got to meet this man in this room," McCain said in introducing Biden at the Tempe Center for the Arts. "President Biden and Mrs. Biden introduced me to my husband, and I am so grateful for that."

In his remarks, Biden, a former long-serving senator from Delaware, said he remembered that McCain was immediately smitten with Cindy McCain but was hesitant to introduce himself to her.

"I take credit," Biden said.

Biden said he also was the guy who encouraged McCain to run for Congress in Arizona as a Republican. McCain won his first of two U.S. House terms in 1982 and then won the retiring Sen. Barry Goldwater's Senate seat in 1986. He would go on to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Biden.

Biden said he told McCain he could do the job on Capitol Hill and was just worried that he would do it too well.

— Dan Nowicki

Biden calls saving American Democracy 'central cause' of his presidency

President Joe Biden on Thursday is expected to detail how "the defense, the protection and the preservation of American Democracy" is the "central cause" of his presidency, according to excerpts of his remarks released ahead of his appearance in Tempe.

He also will denounce the "MAGA movement," a reference to supporters of former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“From Gettysburg to my inaugural address, to the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and Union Station in Washington, I’ve spoken about the danger of election denialism and political violence and the battle for the soul of America," Biden will say according to the White House excerpts.

“Now today in Phoenix, Arizona, at an institute devoted to the defense of democracy named in honor of a true patriot, I’m here to speak about another threat to our democracy that we too often ignore: the threat to our institutions, to our Constitution itself, and the very character of our nation.”

Biden is in Arizona to salute the service of his late friend and former colleague Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The creation of a new McCain Library at Arizona State University was announced earlier Thursday.

“I have come to honor the McCain Institute and Library because they are home to a proud Republican who put country first. Our commitment should be no less because democracy should unite all Americans – regardless of political affiliation," Biden says in the written remarks.

“But there is something dangerous happening in America. There is an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy. The MAGA Movement.

“Not every Republican — not even the majority of Republicans — adhere to the extremist MAGA ideology. I know because I’ve been able to work with Republicans my whole career. But there is no question that today’s Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA extremists. Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American Democracy as we know it.”

— Dan Nowicki

Biden to create library in Arizona honoring John McCain

As he pays tribute to John McCain on Thursday, President Biden will also announce new federal funds being directed to build the McCain Library, which the White House described as a “new multi-purpose facility to provide education, work, and health monitoring programs to underserved communities in the state.”

The money comes from a massive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed in the early months of Biden’s presidency, and the project is in partnership with the with the McCain Institute and Arizona State University.

The late senator’s wife, Cindy McCain, other members of their family, Gov. Katie Hobbs, and the state’s representatives on Capitol Hill will be at the event commemorating McCain, “whose intolerance for the abuse of power and faith in America sets a powerful example to live by,” the White House said.

A senior White House official, who insisted on anonymity to preview Biden's Thursday remarks, said his Arizona address will highlight the “importance of America’s institutions in preserving our democracy and the need for constant loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.”

Biden's appearance at the center that honors McCain will also tie into the theme, with the president set to urge Americans to “never walk away from the sacrifices generations of Americans have made to defend our democracy.”

— Associated Press

Biden uses John McCain image in new television campaign ad

The late Sen. John McCain appears momentarily in a new campaign ad for President Joe Biden emphasizing bipartisanship and cites several legislative achievements that included Arizona help.

The 60-second spot, dubbed “The Way,” is slated to run on national cable TV and local newscasts in seven swing states. It comes as Biden pays tribute to McCain, R-Ariz., during an event in Tempe.

The ad opens with a montage of photos of Biden with former President Ronald Reagan, former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and a picture with McCain on the set of “Meet the Press.”

The narrator notes, “There was a time in America when we expected leaders to put people over politics, when, instead of shouting, people from different parties talked and listened.”

It goes on to argue that Biden holds firm to that political style and claims he’s signed “hundreds of bipartisan laws,” though many are low-profile items, such as renaming post offices.

But it does single out several high-profile laws that had a strong Arizona nexus.

It mentions the national infrastructure law, alludes to the high-tech manufacturing law and to “strengthen gun safety.”

Biden in Arizona: President Biden is honoring John McCain in Arizona. Here's why

All were, as the ad notes, bipartisan, and Arizona’s senators played significant roles in shaping them.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., was a Democrat when she and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, rescued an infrastructure bill that had languished after direct talks between the White House and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., had a major hand in an advanced manufacturing law that subsidizes semiconductor chip production in the U.S. Seventeen Republicans wound up supporting the bill, which was led by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Sinema helped convene bipartisan talks after a massacre at a Texas elementary school that directly led to an infusion of funding for mental health services and slowed gun purchases for younger adults.

Kelly, who has long been a central figure on gun-control issues, was involved in the group that found rare, bipartisan support on firearms.

The ad is scheduled to run in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.“Americans expect their elected officials to be their voice in Washington and get big things done to make their lives better,” said Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for the Biden campaign. “That is exactly what Joe Biden has done throughout his time in public service. … President Biden has shown that we can get big things done when we put aside our differences for the American people, and he’s running to finish the job and continue being a president for all Americans.”

— Ronald J. Hansen

Biden greeted by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego at airport

After departing Air Force One at 8:15 p.m., President Joe Biden was briefly greeted by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego before entering the presidential motorcade.

The presidential motorcade by 8:23 p.m. had completely departed the Lincoln J. Ragsdale Executive Tower tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Biden is set to appear Thursday at Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.

— Morgan Fischer

Air Force One lands in Phoenix, with president aboard

At 8:05 p.m., President Joe Biden landed in Air Force One at the Lincoln J. Ragsdale executive terminal of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport under light clouds but clear skies.

His arrival in Phoenix comes in advance of a speech in memory of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain and democracy Thursday morning at Tempe Center for the Arts.

— Morgan Fischer

Watch out for these downtown Phoenix road, light-rail closures

Phoenix residents can expect road and travel closures because of President Joe Biden's expected arrival in Arizona on Wednesday, Sept. 27, ahead of a speech to honor John McCain, according to a news release from Downtown Phoenix.

Here's what residents can look out for as they begin their daily commute.

Road closures

Downtown Phoenix said the following roadways will be impacted now until Thursday, Sept. 28, at 3 p.m. and that business and pedestrian access will be maintained in the area.

• Northbound Central Avenue closed at Adams Street.

• Northbound First Street closed just north of Washington Street.

• Southbound First Street closed at Van Buren Street.

• Monroe Street closed between Second Street and First Avenue.

Light rail closures

Phoenix residents using downtown transit should plan delays, according to Valley Metro. Riders should track track light rail vehicles on the Valley Metro app.

From Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 12:15 p.m., to Thursday, Sept. 28, at 3 p.m., the light rail service will experience closures.

Valley Metro said the following Westbound stations in downtown Phoenix are closed: Third Street/ Washington, Washington/Central Avenue and Van Buren/Central Avenue.

— Abigail Celaya

State Senate President Warren Petersen criticizes Biden over border

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s stop in Arizona this week, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, lashed out at the president for not securing the Mexican border.

Like with other visits Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have made, the state Republican Party is criticizing the administration for ignoring illegal border crossings while focusing on other issues, in this case, a campaign event.

“The crisis on Arizona’s southern border is out of control, putting our citizens, communities and law enforcement in grave danger,” Petersen said in a video posted to social media.

He said the president was out of touch with everyday Americans, and said that federal Border Patrol agents are releasing detainees into communities, something that has even drawn scorn recently as far away as New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this month the issue would “destroy” the city.

"Every single week we have human smugglers, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, child sex traffickers and terrorists entering our state from the southern border,” Petersen said.

— Ryan Randazzo

Biden's second trip to Arizona in less than two months

President Joe Biden was in Arizona just last month to designate about 1,562 square miles near the Grand Canyon as a national monument.

State Republicans in Arizona announced a plan to sue the administration over that move.

The goal, according to the administration, is to preserve Native American cultural sites and protect the region from new uranium mining.

The monument is called Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Its name comes from the Havasupai words baaj nwaavjo for “where Indigenous peoples roam,” and the Hopi words i’tah kukveny for “our ancestral footprints.”

It includes thousands of sites sacred to the Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Paiute, Navajo, Yavapai-Apache, Zuni and Colorado River Indian Tribes.

The Biden administration also announced it would spend $44 million to strengthen climate resilience across the national parks system. Arizona's Saguaro National Park will receive money to restore desert habitats by removing buffelgrass, an invasive plant species that displaces native plants and fuels destructive wildfires.

— Ryan Randazzo

What is Joe Biden doing here?

President Joe Biden will deliver remarks Thursday saluting the legacy and service of the late Sen. John McCain.

McCain, R-Ariz., who was elected to two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and six in the Senate, twice ran for president and died in 2018 from cancer while still in office.

Biden is expected to discuss McCain and "the work we must do together to strengthen our democracy."

Also Thursday, Biden will attend a fundraiser hosted by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., as he sets his sights on next year’s presidential election.

Tickets for the event start at $3,300, and the location is only disclosed to attendees.

— Ryan Randazzo

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: President Joe Biden honors John McCain with library at ASU