A senior political analyst for Fox News, Donald Trump’s favourite news channel, has pointed out the President’s tribute to John McCain did not actually contain a tribute to the man himself.
Brit Hume called out the tweet, which says: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain.
“Our hearts and prayers are with you!”
As Hume points out, it doesn’t contain a “kind word about McCain himself”.
All five living former presidents - Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter - paid tribute to the courage and character of McCain who died of brain cancer on Saturday aged 81.
After sending the tweet Trump retweeted a number of his previous posts meaning the McCain tribute appeared much further on his timeline to anyone viewing his profile.
Further, it was later reported Trump had personally vetoed an official White House statement celebrating his late Republican colleague as a “hero.”
McCain was the most prominent critic of Trump within his own party and the pair frequently battled in public.
McCain denounced Trump for, among other things, his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders the senator described as foreign “tyrants.”
“Flattery secures his friendship, criticism his enmity,” McCain said of Trump in his memoir, “The Restless Wave,” which was released in May.
McCain castigated Trump in July for his summit with Putin, calling their joint news conference in Helsinki “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”
His family has said he did not want the President to attend his funeral.