Donald Trump accused of sharing ‘fake’ tribute to John McCain
<p>US President Donald Trump has been slammed for his condolence message to Republican Senator John McCain, who died over the weekend after a battle with brain cancer.</p>
<p>Trump took to social media to offer his sympathies to the McCain family, writing: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!”</p>
<p>However, Trump’s decision to share an image of himself alongside his condolence message angered many.</p>
<blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm7HFb3gMOc/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9">
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm7HFb3gMOc/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/realdonaldtrump/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> President Donald J. Trump</a> (@realdonaldtrump) on Aug 25, 2018 at 6:26pm PDT</p>
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<p>Actress Mia Farrow was one of the many to slam Trump’s social media post.</p>
<p>“While he was ill, you mocked him cruelly. Just as you fail to see what makes America great, you will never understand why John McCain was a great man,” she tweeted.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr">While he was ill, you mocked him cruely. Just as you fail to see what makes America great, you will never understand why John McCain was a great man.</p>
— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/1033700079499194368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<p>Many others on social media criticised Trump’s post as “fake condolences”, with many questioning his sincerity.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr">FAKE CONDOLENCES. Here's the truth: <a href="https://t.co/oQMWwcQpg4">pic.twitter.com/oQMWwcQpg4</a></p>
— Ron Kurtz (@theRDKX259) <a href="https://twitter.com/theRDKX259/status/1033795570387824648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr">You sent fake sympathy on Instagram with your own picture. Shameless. <a href="https://t.co/xXIhcYgQb5">pic.twitter.com/xXIhcYgQb5</a></p>
— Bros4America (@Bros4America) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bros4America/status/1033540064561623040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr">The rest of the world is paying tribute to true American hero John McCain, and you’re paying tribute to yourself by retweeting old tweets and posting a picture of yourself on Instagram. You are the epitome of a sick narcissistic animal. Shame.</p>
— Tim Silver 🌊 (@simtilver) <a href="https://twitter.com/simtilver/status/1033725243649601536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<p>Trump came under fire in 2015 for attacking McCain – a Vietnam vet who was captured in 1967 as a prisoner of war – on the campaign trail by claiming he was not a war hero.</p>
<p>“He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured,” he said at the time.</p>
<p>McCain, who died aged 81, had been a fierce critic of Trump in his final years.</p>
