--- title: John McCain Condemns Trump Feud With Soldier's Widow description: John McCain on Monday condemned the ongoing controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's call to the grieving widow of a fallen soldier. canonical: https://time.com/4994036/john-mccain-donald-trump-frederica-wilson/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-23T20:19:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:06.643Z article:section: Politics og:title: John McCain Condemns Controversy Over Trump's Call to Soldier's Widow og:description: "We should not be fighting" og:url: https://time.com/4994036/john-mccain-donald-trump-frederica-wilson/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt995c9f934924eba7/6988e3100a4a2241ed9d073c/john-mccain-trump-controversy-fallen-soldier.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: John McCain Honored With Liberty Medal For A Lifetime Of Service og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John McCain Condemns Controversy Over Trump's Call to Soldier's Widow twitter:description: "We should not be fighting" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt995c9f934924eba7/6988e3100a4a2241ed9d073c/john-mccain-trump-controversy-fallen-soldier.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'We Should Not Be Fighting.' John McCain Condemns Controversy Over Trump's Call to Soldier's Widow ## Video: John McCain Takes a Veiled Swipe at Donald Trump's Medical Exemption From the Vietnam War [Watch (HLS stream): John McCain Takes a Veiled Swipe at Donald Trump's Medical Exemption From the Vietnam War](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pyh4yeir.m3u8) (0:55)  _Published 2017-10-23. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) appeared to take aim at President Donald Trump's draft deferrals during the Vietnam War this week, following a series of public rebukes of the Trump administration._ by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Oct 23, 2017 8:19 PM UTC  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) makes remarks after receiving the the 2017 Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden at the National Constitution Center on Oct. 16, 2017 in Philadelphia. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) makes remarks after receiving the the 2017 Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden at the National Constitution Center on Oct. 16, 2017 in Philadelphia.William Thomas Cain—Getty Images by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Oct 23, 2017 8:19 PM UTC Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain on Monday condemned [the ongoing controversy](http://time.com/4993373/donald-trump-401k-la-david-johnson-david-letterman-scott-pruitt/) surrounding President Donald Trump’s call to the grieving widow of a fallen soldier. “We should not be fighting about a brave American who lost his life serving his country,” McCain said during an appearance on _The View_. “That should not be the topic of discussion in America today.” Army Sgt. La David Johnson was one of [four U.S. service members killed in Niger earlier this month](http://time.com/4991205/la-david-johnson-trump-john-kelly-niger/). Trump has been under fire ever since Florida Democratic Rep. Ferderica Wilson said Trump told Johnson’s widow that her husband [“knew what he signed up for”](http://time.com/4987048/trump-soldier-widow-la-david-johnson/) — an account Trump has denied but one the widow has confirmed. Myeshia Johnson, the soldier’s widow, [said Trump’s call made her “very angry.”](http://time.com/4993045/myeshia-johnson-donald-trump-frederica-wilson/?) There have also been questions about exactly what happened to the soldiers in Niger. Many of the details around Johnson’s death [remain unclear](http://time.com/4990621/pentagon-niger-attack/), but the [Washington _Post_ reported](http://time.com/4991205/la-david-johnson-trump-john-kelly-niger/) that a group of eight to 12 U.S. soldiers was ambushed by about 50 militants as they were escorting local troops on Oct. 4 when a firefight broke out. McCain said he would like to get more information about what happened to the fallen soldiers. “Americans should know what’s going on in Niger,” he said on Monday. “Unless you learn the lessons, you’re going to repeat them.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4994036/john-mccain-donald-trump-frederica-wilson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4994036/john-mccain-donald-trump-frederica-wilson/"},"headline":"'We Should Not Be Fighting.' 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