John McCain’s Son Jimmy Reveals He’s a Democrat Now as He Slams Trump’s Arlington Cemetery Photo Op

Mar. 15, 2025

James McCain; Donald Trump.Photo:McCain Institute; Justin Lane - Pool/Getty

McCain Institute; Justin Lane - Pool/Getty

John McCain’s youngest son, 1st Lt.Jimmy McCain, revealed that he is now a registered Democrat — and plans to vote for Vice PresidentKamala Harrisin the upcoming presidential election.

Jimmy announced his decision in an exclusive interview with CNN published Tuesday, Sept. 3, during which he also slammed former PresidentDonald Trumpand his campaign staffers’ alleged behavior at Arlington National Cemetery last week — which Jimmy, 36, dubbed a “violation.”

According toNPR, on Monday, Aug. 26, a cemetery official was scolded for preventing Trump’s campaign team from filming and taking photographs in an off-limits area of the grounds called Section 60, where “service members killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom” are buried, per the cemetery’swebsite.

Reacting to the Trump campaign’s Arlington scandal, Jimmy told CNN, “It just blows me away."

He went on to say that the people buried at the Virginia military cemetery (which includes several members of his family tree, including his grandfather and great grandfather) cannot consent to being part of Trump andJ.D. Vance’s campaign — or any political campaign, for that matter.

Donald Trump at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 26.Anna Moneymaker/Getty

Anna Moneymaker/Getty

“These men and women that are laying in the ground there have no choice,” said Jimmy, who has a long history in the military — at 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and he now serves as an intelligence officer in the 158th Infantry Regiment.

“I just think that for anyone who’s done a lot of time in their uniform, they just understand that inherently — that it’s not about you there,” he told CNN. “It’s about these people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country.”

“It was a violation,” he said, adding that the photo op was likely much more upsetting for the loved ones of the individuals buried there.

“That mother, that sister, those families, see that — and it’s a painful experience,” he said.

Jimmy McCain, center, stands between his mother, Cindy, and sister Meghan at his father’s funeral on Sept. 1, 2018.Drew Angerer/Getty

Drew Angerer/Getty

Jimmy, who has served in the military for 17 years, also told CNN that he believes the recent events at Arlington National Cemetery are indicative of not only Trump’s disrespect for the fallen but also his insecurities about his lack of military experience.

“Many of these men and women who served their country chose to do something greater than themselves. They woke up one morning, they signed on the dotted line, they put their right hand up, and they chose to serve their country,” he said. “And that’s an experience that Donald Trump has not had. And I think that might be something that he thinks about a lot.”

Jimmy has been moving away from the Republican Party for some time, per CNN. He has been registered as an independent for several years, and after recently registering as a Democrat, wants to help Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz, defeat Trump “in any way” he can.

Tim Walz and Kamala Harris visit a campaign office in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2024.Andrew Harnik/Getty

Andrew Harnik/Getty

Addressing his noteworthy decision to veer away from his late father’s conservative politics, Jimmy told CNN that to him, John was his dad first and foremost.

“John McCain was my father, and a lot of people lose that in the minutia. He wasn’t ‘John McCain’ the way he is to the world. He was the man who loved me,” he said. “And the one thing I’ve known about my dad since the moment I could think, was that he was a good man and that he had done his part.”

“And for me to be with him towards the end of his life,hearing things [from Trump] like, he was a loser because he was captured— I don’t think I could ever overlook that,” he added.

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Seemingly addressing her younger brother’s decision to vote blue,Meghan McCaintook to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to share amessageof support — and clarify her own political leanings.

“I greatly respect the wide variety of political opinions of all of my family members and love them all very much,” she wrote. “I however, remain a proud member of the Republican Party and hope for brighter days ahead.”

But, she added in parentheses, she is “not voting for Harris or Trump.”

source: people.com