Heading into the weekend, one of the big news stories was over the comments made by White House staffer Kelly Sadler about John McCain and his battle with brain cancer. After Sadler's remarks became public, they quickly received backlash, with actor and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking out.
.@SenJohnMcCain deserves respect. We must stretch for our better angels instead of falling toward our lowest instincts. pic.twitter.com/BYbcVAbeg6
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) May 12, 2018
Arnold on McCain
The feud between Donald Trump and John McCain is well-known and dates back to the early days of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump first came under fire in regards to McCain when he mocked the Arizona senator's military history, claiming he was "not a war hero" for getting captured during the Vietnam War. In the nearly three years that have passed, the two men have often clashed, with the president lashing out on Twitter on more than one occasion. Fast forward to present day and McCain, who is fighting a deadly form of brain cancer, has public opposed Trump's pick to lead the CIA in the form of Gina Haspel due to her support of torture. After Trump staffer Kelly Sadler dismissed McCain's criticism, saying, "he's dying anyway," the story leaked and went viral.
Press Sec. Sanders scolded her staff Friday for the derogatory comment about Sen. John McCain, calling the remark "unacceptable," according to multiple senior White House officials. https://t.co/SAxdajuAst pic.twitter.com/mDVJYmnXwu
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 12, 2018
News outlets, prominent political figures, and even Cindy and Meghan McCain have spoken out against Kelly Sadler's remarks.
In a tweet on May 12, former California governor and veteran actor Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the defense of John McCain while ripping into the culture at the White House. "John McCain deserves respect. We must stretch for our better angels instead of falling toward our lowest instincts," Schwarzenegger tweeted out.
Attached to his tweet was a lengthier message in defense of John McCain.
"John McCain is a hero who has given his entire life in service to his country," Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote. "I hope this horrible 'joke' from someone in the White House is a wake-up call to all Americans to think about how we speak to each other about our politics," he added. "We can be strong without being cruel..we can be tough without being mean-spirited," the "Terminator" star continued, before concluding, "we must stretch for our better angels instead of falling towards our lowest instincts."
Moving forward
While the criticism of Kelly Sadler's remarks remain a hot topic, the White House has remained mostly silent.
During her press briefing on Friday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected from questioning, but confirmed that Sadler was still employed. On Saturday, a report leaked revealing private comments made by Sanders to her staff, where she scolded those in attendance and called the remarks in question "unacceptable." As of press time, Donald Trump has not given his thoughts.