Republican Sen. Utah Orrin Hatch told reporters Monday it was “ridiculous” that fellow Republican Sen. John McCain reportedly doesn’t want President Trump to go to his funeral.
Hatch said to CNN, “I think that’s ridiculous. He’s the President of the United States. He’s a very good man. But it’s up to John. I think John should have his wishes fulfilled with regard to who attends his funeral.”
GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch says it is “ridiculous” that ailing Sen. John McCain doesn’t want President Trump to attend his funeral https://t.co/YVtMjZJoVn pic.twitter.com/POMPOOFZD0
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 7, 2018
Hatch was also asked if he would try to change Sen. McCain’s mind and allow the president to attend, and he said, “I would.”
McCain has taken a reduced role in the Senate after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He had surgery last July for a brain tumor that was later identified as a form of glioblastoma.
The Arizona senator and the president have fought on multiple occasions. Trump infamously said of McCain in 2015, “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”