"Fox & Friends" defends Donald Trump: He only said John McCain wasn't a war hero once

"It's important to remember that Donald Trump really doesn't like John McCain," Doocy explained

Published July 20, 2015 1:59PM (EDT)

On "Fox & Friends" Monday morning, co-hosts Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck defended Donald Trump's questioning the heroism of Arizona Senator John McCain, saying that it's important to remember that "Donald Trump really doesn't like John McCain."

Before playing a clip from Frank Lutz's interview with Trump, co-host Doocy explained the ground rules for interpreting his comments. First, he said, you need to remember how much Trump dislikes McCain, who said that the real estate tycoon's recent event in Phoenix "brought out the crazies." Second, you have "keep in mind that after he had this statement, mainstream media said 'Donald Trump says John McCain not a war hero.'"

"He says that one time," Doocy acknowledged, but "immediately corrects himself and says 'he was a war hero' four times." He left out the fact that while Trump said "he was a hero" four times, it was followed by the qualification "because he got captured" -- which should be obvious, given that "Fox & Friends" cut to the clip of the interview at this point.

After the clip, Brian Kilmeade acknowledged that McCain is, in fact, a war hero -- but said that's "just what Donald Trump does. If he was going to bid against on buildings, he'd come after me about soccer. He goes after the weakness."

Doocy read an excerpt from Trump's op-ed in Monday's USA Today, in which the real estate tycoon said that he doesn't need to be lectured by losing presidential candidates who probably couldn't cut it in the public sector.

"They don't like each other," Doocy said. "But there are a lot of people in this country who don't like each other. It's political season and a lot of people might say, 'It's Donald Trump being Donald Trump,' because Donald Trump doesn't think John McCain has done enough for the troops."

Watch the entire segment via Media Matters for America below.


By Scott Eric Kaufman

MORE FROM Scott Eric Kaufman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Brian Kilmeade Donald Trump Elisabeth Hasselbeck Fox & Friends John Mccain Steve Doocy Video