Report: McCain Doesn't Want Trump Near His Funeral
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden recently took a trip to Arizona to visit longtime friend Sen. John McCain, who is battling brain cancer, and says McCain is "concerned about the state of the country," The New York Times reported.
Biden described the visit, which took place last Sunday, to the Times, saying, "John knows he's in a very, very, very precarious situation, and yet he's still concerned about the state of the country." Biden told the newspaper that he and McCain "talked about how our international reputation is being damaged and we talked about the need for people to stand up and speak out."
A source told the newspaper that President Trump is not invited to McCain's funeral. Trump never made any secret of his dislike for McCain. During his campaign for the White House, Trump said McCain was a hero only because "he got captured."
McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and is at home in Arizona recovering from side effects associated with his treatment.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have been asked to deliver eulogies at McCain's funeral, people close to both former presidents and a source close to the senator confirmed to CNN. McCain unsuccessfully challenged Bush for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000 and Obama in the 2008 general election.
Another person close to McCain said, "we don't know how much time he has ... but let's pray he hangs on to be a conscience for this country."
NBC News previously reported the Bush and Obama invitations.
The Times said Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend the funeral, which is set to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
The Times also reported that some McCain associates hope to see a "McCain person" take his Senate seat, and that Cindy McCain could be one such person.
The senator's wife, Cindy McCain, recently tweeted about Biden's visit, saying, "Enjoyed a wonderful visit from @JoeBiden yesterday. Such good family friends. Enjoyed catching up!"
Mrs. McCain recently appeared on "The View" along with daughter Meghan. Mrs. McCain didn't mention Trump by name, but asked for a return to politics when civility was important.
Biden's eldest son Beau, a former attorney general of Delaware, died of brain cancer in 2015, upending the then-vice president's planned 2016 presidential campaign. Biden told the Times that during his conversation with McCain, the Arizona senator urged him to "not walk away" from politics, but Biden declined to discuss the possibility that he might run for president in 2020 with the newspaper.
McCain recently wrote a memoir, "The Restless Wave," which will be released later this month. In it and a forthcoming documentary, McCain expresses his regret over not choosing former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman as his vice presidential running mate when he ran for the presidency in 2008, the Times reported. McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign was then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
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