On Monday, President Donald Trump signed the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 at Fort Drum Army Base in New York and during his remarks he thanked a long list of people. But it is not who Trump mentioned, but rather who he deliberately did not that CNN anchor Jake Tapper took issue with.
The one person not thanked or even mentioned at all during Trump's lengthy remarks? John S. McCain.
The name of ailing Republican United States Senator McCain of Arizona, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the man that committee chose to designate the bill in honor of failed to make the President's speech.
No mention of John McCain by any of the speakers at Trump event to sign act named in honor of McCain. Trump omitt… https://t.co/Bj4RSbd2au— Jennifer Jacobs (@Jennifer Jacobs)1534188325.0
In fact, despite the official title of the bill, Trump deliberately avoided saying the name of the 23 year—1958-1981—and highly decorated U.S. Navy combat veteran and former prisoner of war for whom the bill is named.
The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2019 (Congressional archive)
The President instead only referred to the bill as the "National Defense Authorization Act" or the NDAA. And people are calling Trump out for what they view as petty childish behavior targeting a 36 year—1982 to 2018—Republican Congressman all because McCain criticized Trump.
President Trump studiously avoided reading the official name of the legislation — which would have meant mentioning… https://t.co/VwohAORik8— The New York Times (@The New York Times)1534247045.0
Even when the President tweeted about the event and bill later, he left out Mccain's name.
It was my great honor to sign our new Defense Bill into law and to pay tribute to the greatest soldiers in the hist… https://t.co/kmGKEmawRq— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1534199775.0
CNN's Jake Tapper took to the airwaves Monday night and after showing footage of "a laundry list of people" the President thanked, Tapper rebuked Trump's choice to go out of his way to not mention McCain even once.
Watch the video here:
"That was President Trump just a few minutes ago thanking a laundry list of people before officially signing the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act," Tapper stated. "One person who wasn't on that list of people that he thanked?"
Outspoken Trump critic and the namesake of the bill, Senator John McCain. You know, the decorated war hero, who was a prisoner of war, continues to serve as a United States senator, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The bill the president signed is called the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. No mention of him by the president today."
"Today, McCain took the high road," Tapper shared, "and issued a statement saying, 'I'm humbled that my colleagues in Congress chose to designate this bill in my name. Serving as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and working on behalf of America's brave service members has been one of the greatest honors of my life'."
And since President Trump would not do it, let us here on THE LEAD congratulate Senator John McCain and his family and thank him for his service to the country."
After Tapper posted his thanks to Twitter, the Senator's daughter Meghan McCain thanked him for thinking of her father.
@jaketapper @SenJohnMcCain Thank you Jake— Meghan McCain (@Meghan McCain)1534195938.0
And John McCain's daughter nor Jake Tapper were alone in their reactions as shown in the following Twitter responses.
Some reacted to the President's refusal to acknowledge Senator McCain in any way during the signing ceremony for a bill named the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act.
@jaketapper @SenJohnMcCain #bebest— SchindlersCat (@SchindlersCat)1534208817.0
How could @realDonaldTrump sign the John S. McCain Defense Authorization Act and speak for 25 minutes without menti… https://t.co/iEaB5wk29f— Andrea Mitchell (@Andrea Mitchell)1534192143.0
I was in #Hanoi with @SenJohnMcCain in 2000; saw where he was shot down and the prison in which he nearly died. N… https://t.co/3kFZMdxXid— Howard Fineman (@Howard Fineman)1534209138.0
Trump’s failure even to *mention* this dying military hero in the event celebrating a spending bill *named* after… https://t.co/aWTQiyg6Qv— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe)1534194511.0
.@realDonaldTrump-You had the audacity to leave Sen John McCain out of today’s signing? You’re such a coward. And y… https://t.co/t7LZX1mmGu— Scott Dworkin (@Scott Dworkin)1534205673.0
Trump just held an event at Fort Drum to sign the “John McCain National Defense Authorization Act”, but failed to t… https://t.co/7y47rdjzWj— Ryan Knight 🏳️🌈🗽 (@Ryan Knight 🏳️🌈🗽)1534204569.0
Trump is a petty piece of crap. He even had the audacity to omit John McCain's name from the bill's title, calling… https://t.co/X9OvMkPxNf— (((Al 🅖🅓🅐🅓➊))) (@(((Al 🅖🅓🅐🅓➊))))1534252281.0
While some compared the two men, Mccain and Trump.
@jaketapper @SenJohnMcCain John McCain reminds Trump of who he is not. He is the Anti-Trump.— Linda Lafaux ~Time To Rise Up! (@Linda Lafaux ~Time To Rise Up!)1534252849.0
@realDonaldTrump That you failed to mention Senator John MCain when passing a law that was named in his honor, unde… https://t.co/G7R02tjyWB— Mia Farrow (@Mia Farrow)1534242671.0
@realDonaldTrump I like presidents who didn’t cowardly avoid military service. And why aren’t you honoring John McCain?— Eugene Gu, MD (@Eugene Gu, MD)1534199998.0
And others took the opportunity to also thank Senator McCain for his 23 years of military service.
I worked with @SenJohnMcCain on Campaign Finance Reform in the '90's. His politics are much more conservative than… https://t.co/7XtEmgOUoj— Morgan Fairchild (@Morgan Fairchild)1534210290.0
@SenJohnMcCain Thank you SenatorMcCain— Mia Farrow (@Mia Farrow)1534195911.0
Since Trump didn’t have the integrity, respect, intelligence, class, & dignity to thank American Hero … https://t.co/qfNmxfDEKg— Greg Grunberg (@Greg Grunberg)1534217301.0