Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain, gave a powerful goodbye to her father on Saturday, remembering his legacy and indirectly criticizing one of the most notably absent people: President Trump.
Key moments:
- "We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness — the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege."
- “As much as I hate to see him go, I do know how it ended. I know that on the afternoon of Aug. 25 … surrounded by the family he loved so much, an old man shook off the scars of battle one last time and arose a new man, to pilot one last flight up and up and up, busting clouds left and right, straight on through to the Kingdom of Heaven."
- "The America of John McCain is generous and welcoming and bold... The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great."
What they're saying:
- The New Yorker's Susan Glasser: "Make no mistake: the applause ringing out at the Cathedral when Meghan McCain says 'America has no need to be made great again because America was always great' is not standard. Never heard applause at a funeral here before."
- SiriusXM's Olivier Knox: "Meghan McCain's searingly personal (and political) tribute will be remembered as the one closest in spirit to what her father might have said today."