Trump breaks silence on McCain, tweets deepest sympathies

President Donald Trump broke his closely watched silence on Sen. John McCain, tweeting his “deepest sympathies and respect” to the family of the senator after his death was announced on Saturday night.

Also Read: John McCain, U.S. senator and former presidential candidate, dies

“My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!” Trump tweeted.

Prior to his tweet, Trump had not publicly acknowledged the rapidly declining health of McCain after his family announced Friday he would be discontinuing treatment for his brain cancer.

In an email, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders forwarded the President’s tweet to reporters. First lady Melania Trump also tweeted, “Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy to the McCain Family. Thank you Senator McCain for your service to the nation.”

And Vice President Mike Pence also tweeted his condolences, writing that he and second lady Karen Pence “honor his lifetime of service to this nation in our military and in public life. His family and friends will be in our prayers. God bless John McCain.”

Below are other reactions to his death:

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL

“In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain’s life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or cliches, but the building blocks of an extraordinary life.”

FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND MICHELLE OBAMA

“Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did. But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John’s best, he showed us what that means. And for that, we are all in his debt. Michelle and I send our most heartfelt condolences to Cindy and their family.”

FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

“Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I’ll deeply miss.”

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

“As a POW, John endured the worst of what human beings can do to one another. In politics, he fell short of his greatest ambition. At the end of his life he faced a cruel and relentless disease. And yet through it all he never lost sight of what he believed most: Country First. And the spirit that drove him was never extinguished: we are here to commit ourselves to something bigger than ourselves.”

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

“John McCain was a man of honor, a true patriot in the best sense of the word. Americans will be forever grateful for his heroic military service and for his steadfast integrity as a member of the United States Senate.”