Responding to the comments made by Donald Trump Saturday about about Sen. John McCain’s war hero status, former McCain running mate Sarah Palin argued that both men are heroes in their own right.

In a statement to CNN, and later her Facebook page, Palin praised the pair of political figures, saying they both “blazed trails” and “love our great country.”

On McCain, Palin called his military service and decision to put “it all on the line to defend freedom” a heroic one. Meanwhile, the former Alaska governor called Trump “a hero in another arena,” citing his “giving voice to untold millions of fed-up Americans.”

“I have the good fortune of knowing both John McCain and Donald Trump well,” Palin told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an email initially. “Both men have more in common than the today’s media hype would have you believe. Both blazed trails in their careers and love our great nation.”

“Sen. McCain dedicated his life to serving our country, and in my humble opinion the sacrifices made by all ethical service members are heroic — putting it all on the line to defend freedom IS heroic — and Donald Trump is a hero in another arena,” Palin said.

“Trump is the candidate giving voice to untold millions of fed-up Americans witnessing a purposeful destruction of our economy and the equal opportunity for success that made America exceptional,” Palin said. “We’re watching career politicians throw away our kids’ future through bankrupting public budgets and ripping open our porous borders which, obvious to all us non-politicians, puts us at great risk.”

“Everywhere I go, hard-working patriotic Americans — not ‘crazies’ or ‘wacko birds’ — ask me to pass on to Mr. Trump encouragement to keep educating the masses about true ramifications of illegal immigration, and in general the real state of our union,” she said.

“We can keep the debate focused on significant issues at hand,” Palin said. “I leave politics of personal destruction to those on the Left and lazy media lapdogs who’s only take away from any debate is any salacious slip-up, as if they’ve never wanted to restate something they’ve publicly uttered.”

“I’ll fight the exhausting, divisive strategy that’s taken hold under the current crop of politicians who refuse to allow our United States to unite,” Palin said. “Both Mr. Trump and Sen. McCain can contribute their gifts and talents to join that fight to work together, because the Left is headed the other direction and under that desired division we will fall,” she said.