Taking time to process. Meghan McCain was not present during the season premiere of The View on Tuesday, September 4, nearly two weeks after her father, John McCain, died.
“Meghan is spending time with her family,” cohost Whoopi Goldberg said during the season 22 premiere before praising Meghan for her eulogy at her dad’s Saturday, September 1, funeral. “It was quite an emotional farewell. Meghan was extraordinary talking about him.”
New cohost Abby Huntsman also commended Meghan for her eulogy: “Meghan is like a sister to me and this was the hardest thing she has ever been through. Her dad was her best friend, her dad was everything. I was so proud of her. It was like her dad had passed the torch to her. She was now speaking for the family.”
“He was willing to give his life for this country,” the former Fox and Friends Weekend host added about the late senator. “And that is a love for this country that very few people have.”
John died at the age of 81 at his Arizona home on August 25, one day after his family confirmed he would discontinue medical treatment for a cancerous brain tumor. Meghan made headlines for the fiery eulogy she gave at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday.
“John Sidney McCain III was many things. He was a sailor, he was an aviator, he was a husband, he was a warrior, he was a prisoner, he was a hero, he was a congressman, he was a senator, he was a nominee for president of the United States,” she began in front of her family and celebrity attendees including Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. “The America of John McCain is generous. It is welcoming and bold. She is resourceful and confident and secure. She meets her responsibilities. She speaks quietly because she is strong. America does not boast because she has no need to.”
The 33-year-old also appeared to throw shade at President Donald Trump during her speech: “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great.”
Trump seemingly responded to the diss on Saturday, tweeting, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Meghan joined The View in October 2017, replacing Jedediah Bila during season 21. The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11 a.m. ET.
