Donald Trump should abandon his bid for the White House amid the furor over him saying Sen. John McCain is not a war hero,
The Des Moines Register said in an editorial posted online late Monday.
The paper, in the state with the first party caucuses, called out Trump over his statements made in Ames, Iowa, over the weekend as well as his off-the-cuff speech when he entered the campaign on June 16 in which he said most illegal immigrants from Mexico were bringing crime into the country and were rapists and killers.
"In the five weeks since he announced his campaign to seek the GOP nomination for president, Trump has been more focused on promoting himself, and his brand, than in addressing the problems facing the nation," the Register said.
"If he were merely a self-absorbed, B-list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement. But he now wants to become president, which means that he aspires to be the leader of the free world and the keeper of our nuclear launch codes."
Trump mentioned McCain, who had called attendees at a Trump anti-illegal immigration rally "crazies," then said, "He's not a war hero." He later added, "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."
He has since said McCain, who spent more than five years as a POW in Vietnam, is a war hero, but said McCain should apologize for insulting people who want to protect the border.
Trump is leading
several national polls, but the Register said that being electable isn't the same as being qualified. Since the first GOP debate, to be held by Fox News Channel, allows only the top 10 candidates to take the stage, Trump is keeping a more qualified person from participating, the newspaper argued.
"Trump has proven himself not only unfit to hold office, but unfit to stand on the same stage as his Republican opponents," the editorial said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.