Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner honored Senator John McCain at his Washington, D.C., funeral on Saturday, September 1, in President Donald Trump‘s absence.
Ivanka, 36, and her 37-year-old husband — both of whom are White House staffers — attended the service at the Washington National Cathedral alongside other members of the administration, including John Kelly, James Mattis, John Bolton and Elaine Chao.
New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers tweeted that Ivanka was invited to attend the funeral by the late senator’s close friend Lindsey Graham after they met on Capitol Hill earlier this week and she shared her condolences. According to a White House official, “Graham said it would be a nice gesture for Ivanka & Jared to attend, but cleared it w/ Cindy McCain first,” Rogers tweeted. The former fashion designer was spotted texting during the funeral service, leading to some criticism on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the 72-year-old commander-in-chief departed from the White House to travel to his golf course in Virginia during the funeral, according to Time.
McCain’s daughter Meghan seemingly took aim at the former reality star while giving an emotional speech at the funeral: “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great.”
Trump was also criticized for sharing his thoughts on everything from NAFTA to the Russia collusion investigation in a series of tweets he posted as McCain’s casket was being transported from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington National Cathedral and during the service itself.
While it is not known why the former Celebrity Apprentice host did not go to McCain’s funeral, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, August 27, that two White House officials claimed the family asked him not to attend the service before the Navy veteran’s death on August 25 at age 81.
Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were also on hand to pay tribute to McCain at Saturday’s funeral. The 44th and 43rd presidents both gave speeches noting their political rivalries with the six-term senator but applauded his approach to human rights.
“John understood, as JFK understood, as Ronald Reagan understood, that part of what makes our country great is that our membership is based not on our bloodline, not on what we look like, what our last names are,” Obama, 57, said. “It’s not based on where our parents or grandparents came from or how recently they arrived, but on adherence to a common creed: That all of us are created equal, endowed by our creator to certain inalienable rights.”
Bush, 72, echoed that sentiment: “He respected the dignity inherent in every life. A dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators. Perhaps above all, John detested the abuse of power. He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots.”
