President Donald Trump will not be attending the funeral or memorial services in Washington for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a McCain family spokesman said Monday.
Rick Davis, who is also McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, said at a news conference in Phoenix that Vice President Mike Pence will serve as the Trump administration designee at a ceremony honoring McCain on Friday at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
“The president will not be, as far as we know, attending the funeral. That’s just a fact.” Davis said, declining to reiterate what has already been reported about the McCain family’s wishes.
Davis also read from a letter that contained McCain’s final words for the country.
“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe,” McCain wrote in the letter. “We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.”
He added: “If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.”
Speakers at events in Washington honoring McCain will include former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Davis said. Former vice president Joe Biden, McCain’s longtime Senate colleague, is expected to speak at a service for the Arizona Republican in Phoenix on Thursday.
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