On Saturday, Donald Trump mocked John McCain for being a “captured” POW.
“He's not a war hero....He was a war hero because he was captured,” Trump said at Iowa's Family Leadership Summit. “I like people who weren’t captured.”
Those remarks drew the immediate wrath and condemnation of much of the rest of the GOP field.
Rick Perry called Trump “unfit to be Commander-in-Chief,” and took a dig at The Donald’s notable lack of a military record:
As a fellow veteran I respect @SenJohnMcCain because he volunteered to serve his country. I cannot say the same about Mr. @realDonaldTrump.
— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) July 18, 2015
While Bobby Jindal took a similar approach:
After Donald Trump spends six years in a POW camp, he can weigh in on John McCain's service
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) July 18, 2015
Jeb Bush called the remarks “slanderous”:
Enough with the slanderous attacks. @SenJohnMcCain and all our veterans - particularly POWs have earned our respect and admiration.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) July 18, 2015
And Chris Christie called McCain an “American hero”:
I know @SenJohnMcCain. Senator John McCain is an American hero. Period. Stop.
— Chris Christie (@ChrisChristie) July 18, 2015
Trump later tried to walk back his remarks at a news conference, saying, "If a person is captured, they're a hero as far as I'm concerned. I don't like the job John McCain is doing in the Senate because he is not taking care of our veterans.”
The NY Post, meanwhile, clearly thinks that non-apology won’t be enough:
Don Voyage! pic.twitter.com/l9j1SUTihq
— Shaul Rahabi (@ShaulRahabi) July 19, 2015