Anti-Trumper Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) took another shot at President Trump Tuesday in a speech in Australia, telling a Sydney audience that Trump has “unsettled” allies and Americans alike.
This represents the latest sally from the failed presidential candidate in what is quickly becoming an apology tour of sorts for the failed presidential candidate.
McCain, whose 2008 presidential run resulted in a comfortable victory for President Barack Obama, spoke on the future of U.S. relations with Asia at the University of Sydney and couldn’t resist taking another swipe at Trump when asked about how the president has unsettled allies concerned that America may pull back from commitments abroad.
“Other American allies have similar doubts these days and this is understandable,” McCain said, according to The Associated Press. “I realize that some of President Trump’s actions and statements have unsettled America’s friends. They have unsettled many Americans as well.”
McCain warned his audience:
There is real debate under way now in my country about what kind of role America should play in the world and, frankly, I don’t know how this debate will play out. But I do believe…that the future of the world will turn to a large extent on how this debate in America is resolved. That’s why I and others are fighting so hard to ensure that America stands by our allies and remains an active, principled leader in the world.
McCain’s comments come a day after he said in an interview with an Australian TV network that Trump makes him “nervous from time to time.” He noted that Trump frequently takes the advice of his national security team, but not all the time.
“Can I tell you that he does all the time? No. Does it bother me? Yes, it bothers me,” he said on Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 7:30 program Monday.
He called the controversy surrounding Russia and the firing of FBI Director James Comey a “scandal of significant proportions.” However, he conceded that there is “no evidence” the Russians affected the outcome of the election.
McCain also expressed his unhappiness with reports about White House adviser Jared Kushner allegedly attempting to set up a back channel with Russia, saying “I don’t like it, I just don’t.”
In his Tuesday speech in Sydney, McCain also slammed Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and he encouraged the Australians to go ahead with the deal without the United States on board — apparently already looking toward life post-Trump.
“I would urge you to keep at it,” McCain said, according to Bloomberg News. “And hopefully, someday in the future, under different circumstances, America will decide to join you.”
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY
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