Media Blasts Trump’s ‘Petty’ And ‘Botched’ Response To McCain’s Death

President Donald Trump is under fire today for his handling of Senator John McCain’s death. The President initially responded to the veteran senator’s passing with a brief tweet that did not praise McCain. Then, the American flag was raised to full staff over the White House despite the fact that McCain had not yet been buried, defying tradition.

The Trump administration hastily issued a statement honoring McCain and ordering the flag to be lowered until the senator is interred. For many in the media, this was too little, too late.

“Donald Trump’s response to John McCain’s death demonstrated once again that there is no limit to the President’s smallness,” the New Yorker‘s John Cassidy has charged.

Discussing the decision to return the White House flag to half staff, Cassidy asked: “Who persuaded Trump to change course? Was there a rebellion in the West Wing? ”

Over at the Daily Beast, Asawin Suebsaeng claimed the President had ‘fumbled’ the issue of McCain’s death.

“The president’s handling of the situation further added to Trump’s lengthy track record for botched responses to solemn occasions involving recently deceased celebrities, grieving Gold Star family members, natural disaster victims, and even mass murder and traumatized communities,” he noted.

“The series of events appeared remarkably callous, even for this president, although it wasn’t all that surprising.”

As the Daily Beast noted, Trump’s response to Aretha Franklin’s death was widely considered disrespectful and his response to hurricane damage in Puerto Rico has been inadequate.