New year, same feuds: Trump starts 2019 with criticism of Flake, McCain

PHOENIX — It may be a new year, but President Donald Trump is continuing his old grievances against outgoing U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake and the late U.S. Sen. John McCain.

During a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Trump took a shot at Flake, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election due to the divisive climate created under the president.

The president said Flake is “now selling real estate or whatever he’s doing. He’ll probably go work for CNN. That’s my prediction.”

But the president also invoked McCain’s name for voting against repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in 2017.

“John McCain voted against it. He went thumbs down and that was the end of that,” Trump said.

Flake will be replaced by Sen.-elect Kyrsten Sinema when she is sworn into office this week. Flake’s future plans were not immediately known.

McCain died of brain cancer in August.

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