You’d be forgiven for thinking that John McCain, a Republican senator, would be supportive of President Trump given their shared party alliance. However, McCain has ramped up his criticism of the president, claiming that American leadership was stronger under President Trump’s predecessor, John McCain’s 2008 Democratic rival President Obama.
According to the Hill , when asked if the country stood on sturdier ground under former President Obama’s leadership, McCain said “yes.”
Despite criticizing many of the Obama administration’s foreign policy decisions during his time in office, McCain ultimately concluded that the former president provided the country with stronger leadership. He went on to elaborate that President Obama represented the United States much more effectively on the global stage than the current president is doing.
According to CNN , McCain was also quizzed about the president’s recent exchanges with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Trump was criticized heavily by both politicians in the United States and the United Kingdom after attacking London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Twitter in the wake of the London Bridge terrorist attack. Following the comments, Khan and other senior British politicians called upon the prime minister to cancel the president’s state visit to the country, which is scheduled to take place later this year.
. @SenJohnMcCain : America’s leadership standing in the world was better under Obama https://t.co/f3VLMlfxbc pic.twitter.com/UIJ0gaE3Qb
— POLITICO (@politico) June 13, 2017
“What do you think the message is? The message is that America doesn’t want to lead,” McCain replied. “The world is not sure of American leadership, whether it be in Siberia or whether it be in Antarctica.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the White House to meet President Trump just a week following his inauguration. During that visit, she extended an invitation on behalf of the Queen for the president to visit the United Kingdom for a full state visit. The move was heavily criticized by politicians in the United Kingdom, amongst whom Trump is largely unpopular.
No official date has been set for the trip, which is expected to take place later this year. However, recent reports coming from sources within the White House claim that the president plans to delay his state visit over fears of potential protests and his perceived unpopularity. The White House has denied any such reports.
Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK ‘on hold’ until there wouldn’t be massive protests https://t.co/JdtWLq5svJ pic.twitter.com/Y8V6PvBhTX
— Mirror Politics (@MirrorPolitics) June 11, 2017
Theresa May, who recently lost her parliamentary majority in the United Kingdom, will also be keen not to anger British politicians by pushing for the president to visit the country soon.
[Featured Image by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
