Sen. John McCain said Sunday he believes Donald Trump "could be a capable leader," but needs to reach out to "heal the many wounds" of a turbulent campaign – and to retract his statement disrespecting POWs.
In an interview with
CNN's "State of the Union," the Arizona lawmaker said he's never seen a campaign like this one .
"I think it's obvious there has to be outreach on his part to heal many of the wounds," the Arizona senator said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Frankly, I have never seen... a campaign like this one where people's integrity and character are questioned."
"That bothers me a lot. It bothers me a lot because you can violently disagree with someone on an issue but to attack their character and integrity, those wounds take a long time to heal," he said.
And one group in particular deserves an apology he said: prisoners of war.
Trump sparked criticism when he mocked
McCain's military service last summer, and declared: "I like people who weren't captured."
"I think it's important for Donald Trump to express his appreciation for veterans, not John McCain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war," he said.
"What he said about me, John McCain, that's fine. I don't require any repair of that, but when he said 'I don't like people who were captured,' then there's a body of American heroes that I'd like to see him retract that statement. Not about me, but about the others."
Nevertheless, McCain said he's supporting the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
"I think he could be a capable leader," he said.
Related Stories:
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.