July 19--Donald Trump refused to apologize for mocking Sen. John McCain's military service this weekend, insisting that he has been subject to unfair criticism from jealous rivals and biased media.
"Of course they'd love to have me do that because I'm leading the pack" in some GOP polls, Trump said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" when asked whether he would apologize.
Trump, who received draft deferments that allowed him to avoid military service during the Vietnam war, argued that he has been a stronger supporter of veterans than McCain, the Arizona Republican who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The real estate mogul has come under harsh criticism from political rivals since he appeared to belittle McCain's military service during an appearance Saturday in Ames, Iowa, saying McCain is "not a war hero."
McCain spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam after his plane was shot down in 1967. He and Trump have engaged in a running political feud recently, with McCain sharply critical of Trump's repeated claims that most Mexicans crossing the border illegally are drug dealers and rapists.
"He's a war hero because he was captured," Trump said. "I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He's a war hero because he was captured, OK? And I believe--perhaps he's a war hero. But right now, he's said some very bad things about a lot of people."
Trump said Sunday that his brash comments were well-received at the Family Leadership Summit, a gathering of several thousand socially conservative activists.
"I got a standing ovation, the biggest ovation they had all weekend, by far," he said. "When I left the room, it was a total standing ovation. It was wonderful to see. Nobody was insulted."
Trump rejected the notion that his inflammatory comments and brash views have diminished the presidential campaign or hurt the GOP.
"Look, when people attack me, I let them have it back," he said. "You say physical appearance. You know, it's my hair but people are constantly attacking my hair. I don't see you coming to my defense. I'm -- my hair is just fine, but I don't see you coming to my defense."
Much of the Republican field has repudiated Trump's comments about McCain, who won the party's presidential nomination in 2008. Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, has called Trump unfit for office and urged him to drop out of the race.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, piled on as well, calling Trump a symptom of a deeper problem in the GOP.
"It's shameful, and so is the fact that it took so long for his fellow Republican candidates to start standing up to him," she said at a dinner Saturday. "The sad truth is if you look at many of their policies, it can be hard to tell the difference."
noah.bierman@latimes.com
@noahbierman
