A final word from McCain, a statement from Trump

In a final statement written before his death, Sen. John McCain reflected on the privilege of serving his country and implored Americans to seek unity. “Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here,” McCain wrote. “Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.” McCain’s former campaign manager, Rick Davis, read the statement Monday at a news conference in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, news media closely monitored President Donald Trump’s response to McCain’s death on Saturday from brain cancer. McCain and Trump had exchanged public criticism in recent years, and the senator reportedly did not want the president to attend his funeral. The White House initially lowered its U.S. flag to half-staff on Saturday in honor of McCain but returned it to full-staff at midnight Sunday before lowering it to half-staff again on Monday after Trump issued a proclamation honoring the late senator. The White House requires such a proclamation to keep the flag at half-staff more than a day and a half after the death of a sitting member of Congress. “Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country,” Trump said in a statement, adding that White House chief of staff John Kelly, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and national security adviser John Bolton would represent his administration at McCain’s furneral services.