MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Cindy McCain remains defiant as Arizona GOP censures her for not backing Trump, says it's a 'badge of honor'

The party claimed McCain has 'supported globalist policies and candidates' and had 'condemned President Trump for his criticism of her husband'

Cindy McCain, the widow of Arizona Senator John McCain, has opened up about being censured by the Arizona Republican Party, calling it a "high honor". McCain tweeted her reaction shortly after the state's branch of the GOP announced on January 23 that they were censuring three high profile Arizona Republicans: McCain, former Senator Jeff Flake, and Governer Doug Ducey. McCain was allegedly censured for refusing to support former President Donald Trump during the election. 

McCain tweeted: "It is a high honor to be included in a group of Arizonans who have served our state and our nation so well... and who, like my late husband John, have been censured by the AZGOP. I'll wear this as a badge of honor." According to Azcentral, the party claimed McCain has "has supported globalist policies and candidates" and had "condemned President Trump for his criticism of her husband and erroneously placed behaviors over actual presidential results."

McCain's late husband had always been one of Trump's most vocal critics. Before his death in 2018, the senator had famously also nipped Trump's bid to end Obamacare — the thumb down vote on the Senate floor still a much-touted incident. Trump's attacks on the senator continued with insults even months after his death. In October 2020, Cindy McCain said she was supporting Trump rival Joe Biden in the November elections. Biden went on to win Arizona and became the first Democratic candidate since 1992 to do so.

This decision to censure comes from the Arizona GOP amidst claims of a striking divide between its members who have rejected Trump in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riots, and those who are still in awe of the former president. There's Kelli Ward, Trump's aide to overturn the November elections, who won the reelection as the state Republican party chairwoman on January 23. Governor Ducey on the other hand had refused to support Trump's bid to turn the election results around. As he was certifying Biden's win in November, he allegedly, and quite famously, ignored a call from the then-president.

Soon as McCain's tweet was posted, social media flocked with support. A fan of her quip replied "I cannot believe how these subhumans are behaving. It's disgraceful. Thank you Mrs. McCain for standing up and speaking out." Another applauded her saying: "Wear it proudly. Your late husband was my Senator and as a liberal, I rarely agreed with him but I never for a moment doubted his love of country or yours. Sadly, the same cannot be said about the AZGOP who seem determined to divest themselves of integrity or loyalty."

Among replies were critics too, one of them tweeting: "Standing up and speaking out? Lol. Only when it serves her. Research what she said about Epstein. "We all knew....". Why didn't she stand up and speak out then?" Another defended the haters saying: "People can still be respectful and call Cindy out on her selfish hatred for Trump-that's all it is. That's led to her betrayal of the GOP and helped move America further to the left. A horrific legacy to have if you ask me."

News of McCain getting censured follows a Twitter spat involving her daughter Meghan who posted in response to the Arizona GOP's official Twitter account celebrating New Year's Day by condemning the late senator. The Twitter account wrote "As the sun sets on 2020, remember that we’re never going back to the party of Romney, Flake, and McCain. The Republican Party is now, and forever will be, one for the working man and woman! God bless." To that, Meghan shot back by tweeting on January 3: "Honestly whomever is running this twitter [sic] account can go to hell."

Ward, who had also challenged the late McCain in 2016, had then stepped into the scene, rejoicing in Meghan's reaction, tweeting, "Good job, @AZGOP! Someone is #Triggered!" followe by a bunch of laughing emojis. Meghan was quick to respond too, as she wrote: "And someone is threatened by another McCain."