Trump says he doesn't regret insulting John McCain's war record because it made his poll numbers go up

Trump has no regrets.
(Image credit: Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

If he could go back to last summer when he chastised Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for being captured in the Vietnam War, Donald Trump says he wouldn't change a thing. "I don't, you know — I like not to regret anything," Trump said Wednesday on the Imus in the Morning radio show. Last July, Trump mocked McCain's military record, suggesting that the senator was only a hero because he was a prisoner of war. "I like people who weren't captured," Trump said at the time.

Despite the tremendous backlash Trump received for the comments, he contends that his unpresidential remark didn't hurt him, and in fact actually helped him. "You do things and you say things," Trump said. "And what I said, frankly, is what I said. And some people like what I said, if you want to know the truth. There are many people that like what I said. You know, after I said that, my poll numbers went up seven points."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us