Jim McCain reflects on politics and his father's legacy

We're here with Jim mccain. He is the son of late Senator John mccain, a military veteran himself. And we're talking politics today. Good to see you. It's nice to meet you, sir. You are one of the more private of the mccain's help. You get a little bit little biography here. What have you been doing for the last several years? You have a pretty long military record. I uh enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17. Um Then after the Marine Corps, I went to college and uh I enlisted in the Arizona Army National Guard after that. And, uh, since then, I've just returned from a deployment, uh, just a few weeks ago. So, and you've done several tours over the last decade or so? Uh Yeah, for, I've been in about 1617 years. So, and several tours, combat tours. Uh, Iraq, Afghanistan. Yes, sir. What makes you want to keep going back? I mean, country first, right. We're talking politics, you know, I mean, I do feel, you know, it's hard to grow up with a father like John mccain and not have a sense of service and duty and to do your part, you know, is we all remember 911, we all remember where we were. I was, you know, I was at Christ Lutheran school down on Indian school and I watched the Towers Fall and it, I think for myself and a lot of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, it affected us very deeply. And you have Children, yourself, two little boys. I have a five year old and a three year old. And you hope one day they will follow you and their grandfather and his father and his father. I hope they make any decision for their lives and it's theirs. Now you were, you've been on the sidelines, you've kind of poked your head up a few times. Uh What's been your reaction over the last really in the Trump era? If we can call it that to Donald Trump, attacking your father to someone like Carrie Lake, making a, a statement, you know, putting a dagger in the heart of the mccain machine and many republicans really turning against your father. What's it been like on the sidelines and not really being able to say anything? Well, I mean, to begin, John mccain was elected public official and he knew what he was, what he was doing. He, it's his, it was his in, you could put it, it was in his job description to be attacked and all that. Now that doesn't mean that I didn't take it personally and that it didn't hurt me very deeply. There is no question in the world that John mccain didn't serve his country and love his country. And so through the years, yes, it's been extremely frustrating. It's been extremely frustrating to sit quietly. It's, you know, this, this time has gone on, you know what I mean? It's, uh, it's, it's hard because, you know, you watch a person that I grew up with, you know, the guy who helped me when I skinned my knee, you know, and then for people to attack him so viciously when his service is unquestionable. Yeah, it's very frustrating and that's led into this today. You know, I am here and you haven't been political, politically active and now you are here because you uh have registered as a Democrat and you've said you are supporting Kamala Harris in the presidential campaign. What was the turning point for you? And, and I should ask, were you a Republican before? Independent? So I, I became an independent around 2016. I think one thing that really affected this was being able to just look at the country. And then of course, you know, in the last week, the uh what happened at Arlington? You know, I was, I was h horrified at this, you know, violation of the sanctity of that place. I mean, it's a place where we go to honor our brothers and sisters who have passed away, mothers, fathers. And you know, these people gave the ultimate sacrifice they did everything a human being can possibly do for their country. But they also, now that they're there, they don't have a political opinion so they shouldn't be politicized. You know, the fact of the matter is, is that the United States army has, has a rule. You don't politicize Arlington. And the fact that it was, it's a violation. It's a, it's a sacred place. Three generations of mccain's are, are buried there. It would be four. But my father's buried in Annapolis. You know, it, it's, it's a sacred place to me personally. You know, it's a, it's a sacred place for all veterans and to put a finer point on it, you just return, return from a tour and you were at an outpost which had come under and where several service members including one from Arizona, I believe lost their lives. Uh No service members from Arizona lost their lives. Um I was not there for that attack. This was a base that it was, I was guard members. Arizona guard members had gone to, yeah, we had uh 33 wounded from Arizona. Um I was, I was not there for that attack. I showed up a few weeks later. Um but we had 33 wounded. I mean, the, the pe the men and women in the Arizona National Guard are, are the best in the world. So, and, but yeah, it's, it's, of course it's real, you know, to be in a place where things like that are happening and then to come home and, you know, the first week I'm back, this is what I see, you know, and when you saw that what's going through your mind, I just was, you know, I just saw it as an extreme violation of a, you know, it's a sacred place. There's some things that should be off limits and Arlington is one of those Donald Trump. Uh, some gold star families have come forward to defend him. He's defended himself. He's blamed the gold star families. Do any of those explanations, blame casting mean anything to you. You know that in the end, it's about we're, we're in a position where invited or not. It's a rule, right? It's a rule that the United States army has established. You know, these families are still grieving. People are grieving. The grieving process has no, no playbook and we need to respect their wishes as well. It was, you know, and that's, that's the thing is we don't know who was in that video. We don't know what, what, what are those families going through and it can be very triggering for them. Now on to the back to the political decision. Registration was your family in on the on this. Did you know, hey guys, I'm, I'm doing this so get ready as always my mother was, you know, I mean, the woman I love, you know, uh my mother was was of course I went to her a few weeks ago and I chatted with her and she, you know, she, she doubled down and, you know, the whole we're missing from my, for, with my father being gone. She's filled and she said, Jimmy, it's your decision. You know, this is, this is whatever you feel is right for this country and for yourself. And she stepped out in 2020. Endorsing Joe Biden. You were kind of silent then, but now you're, is she coming out, do you know? And endorsing Kamala Harris, has she done that? Uh I don't, I don't know if she has, but she currently works for the able to, she, I don't think she is, she works for the United Nations. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to speak for her. So you are now a registered democrat dear. Uh Do you feel like a democrat in your bones? Like somebody who's been registered for 1020? I would say I'm a very center person. What I care about above anything else is bettering the country. And I will say that, you know, I do believe that Governor Walt and Kamala Harris will better this country. And that's why I have chosen this round. Uh There are folks out there, the republicans who are not fond of the mccain family, Donald Trump, they'll say uh mccain are just resentful. They wanna get back at Donald Trump. He was president. Uh John mccain was not how do you answer them? I think that the answer to that is that, you know, you can, you can blame all day resentment and, and hurt feelings and all this. But the fact of the matter is that John mccain instilled in his family, that it's not about that, it's about this country, it's about the country first and then what would, what we're, what I'm doing and what my family is doing, whether they're on, they're on either side of the party are doing what we feel is best for this country. Is this a vote against Donald Trump or for Kamala Harris? I mean, it's definitely a vote for Kamala Harris. What is it about Kamala Harris specifically about Kamala Harris? That makes you think she is the right person to be president. I think that she is not only a, a new, almost a life into all of this, but I think her, her, a, her ability to work, she's proven it. Look at her track record. She'll, she works, she'll get, she'll put in the time, but most importantly, she'll bring everyone together, she'll bring that moderation that, that bipartisanship that we've been missing for so long, she'll bring it back. And that's really the key of what we're looking for here. Do you see yourself as kind of a mccain Democrat? I think I see myself as Jim mccain. My last question is I was looking at the calendar and I realized that Sunday was the sixth anniversary of your father's funeral. So I have that right. Uh It was his Friday, it was Sunday. Was his birth the da the date. Yes, sir. The date. Uh, does that bring back memories for you always? Like I said earlier, there's no playbook on grief. I miss my father every day. You know, he was, like I said, he's, he was more obviously, he was everyone's property, right? He was, he was a man who cared about this country more than anything. But he was the man who took care of me. You know, my skin knee when I saw a scary movie, he was the guy I went to. So of course, I think about him every day, but I hope I'm just making him proud. What do you imagine he would have said to you? He had been here today. Good job, Jimmy. Good job, good job Jimmy. You're like your dad would have approved, forge your own path. Do what you think is right? I mean, you know, those, those values are still here in America. We just have to get them. Ok. Do you plan to go out on the trail? Other states here in Arizona to campaign for Kamala Harris? Well, I'll be here. So whatever happens happens, cutting commercials. Absolutely. I mean, Albertsons obviously, pardon? I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Is that mccain? I'm just me. But no, I haven't. So do it because your mom uh got commercials for Joe Biden back in 2020. 0, no, no, nothing like that. Nothing like that. No, just, just putting mccain's stamp just here to do the right thing. All right, Jim mccain. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, sir.