Cindy McCain condemns video of fake Trump shooting political opponents, late husband

Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), on Monday condemned a video reportedly shown at a conservative conference that depicts President Trump gunning down media organizations and political opponents, including her late husband. 

“Reports describing a violent video played at a Trump Campaign event in which images of reporters & @JohnMcCain are being slain by Trump violate every norm our society expects from its leaders and the institutions that bare their names,” Cindy McCain said on Twitter.

“I stand [with the White House Correspondents’ Association] in registering my outrage.”

Reports describing a violent video played at a Trump Campaign event in which images of reporters & @JohnMcCain are being slain by Pres Trump violate every norm our society expects from its leaders& the institutions that bare their names. I stand w/ @whca in registering my outrage

— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) October 14, 2019

{mosads}The New York Times first reported Sunday that the video, which was an edited a clip from the film “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” was played during a three-day conference hosted by American Priority at Trump National Doral near Miami.

The footage, which has since been shared on social media, shows Trump’s head superimposed on the body of a character who is shooting, stabbing and assaulting a range of individuals inside what is dubbed the “Church of Fake News.” 

Trump is portrayed gunning down and stabbing people with the faces of his critics and media organizations’ logos superimposed onto them. At one point, Trump is shown striking John McCain, a chief critic of Trump’s during his first years in the White House, in the back of the neck. 

Trump is also depicted striking Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.), 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), GOP Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) and former President Obama. 

The organizer of the event, Alex Phillips, acknowledged that the clip had been shown during the conference and that the matter was being investigated.

“Content was submitted by third parties and was not associated with or endorsed by the conference in any official capacity,” Phillips told the Times. “American Priority rejects all political violence and aims to promote a healthy dialogue about the preservation of free speech. This matter is under review.”

ABC’s Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, denounced the clip, saying in a statement late Sunday that “all Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President’s political opponents.”

“We have previously told the President his rhetoric could incite violence. Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society,” Karl said. 

Trump has repeatedly railed against John McCain throughout his presidency, even after the senator’s death, often criticizing him for voting against a GOP bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare in 2017. 

“Not my kind of guy. But some people like him and I think that’s great,” he said in March. 

Cindy McCain has, meanwhile, been outspoken in her criticism of Trump and the GOP since her husband’s death in 2018. She said earlier this year that no Republican has become the party’s “voice of reason” since her husband’s death.