By Dan Nowicki | The Republic
Over the past two years, there has been one constant in the increasingly chaotic world of U.S. politics: Donald Trump’s tweets cause headaches for John McCain, Jeff Flake and other Senate Republicans.
The president’s vicious and personal Twitter attack Thursday on MSNBC personalities Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough set off a familiar round of outrage from Capitol Hill Republicans condemning the insults. According to a tally by the Washington Post, more than three-dozen members of Congress from both parties denounced Trump.
One difference: Unlike 2016, when he was running for re-election in a volatile and unpredictable atmosphere, McCain was among the first to push back on Trump’s tweet. While Arizona’s senior senator and Trump have had a combative relationship, McCain last year flinched at having to routinely answer for Trump’s assorted offensive and controversial comments, although at times he did so forcefully, such as after Trump belittled a Gold Star family.
“I’m just embarrassed. Embarrassed isn’t the right word. I just regret it,” McCain told NBC News in remarks played Thursday on MSNBC.
