Klobuchar's Team Responds to Meghan McCain Criticism; 2020 Campaigns Name-Drop John McCain; Biden Returns to Campaign Trail After 10-Day Hiatus.
KING: Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar's staff says the senator was, quote, simply sharing a memory about the late Senator John McCain and that she, of course, has a deep respect for the McCain family. This comes after McCain's daughter, Meghan, tweeted asking for Senator Klobuchar to, quote, leave my father's legacy and memory out of presidential politics. This all started when Klobuchar told a story in the campaign trail this weekend. She says that the late Senator McCain kept reciting the names of dictators to her when they were seated side by side at the Trump inauguration. It is interesting to have the late senator's daughter poke a Democrat here. We've seen the pictures, was seated next to him at the Trump inauguration, they're clearly leaning over and talking on several occasions. Was this story offensive?</s>ZELENY: I think it sort of strange. I mean, Senator Klobuchar traveled extensively and often with Senator McCain so she was friendly with him, she knew him. Of course, Senator Klobuchar was, you know, perhaps trying to, you know, express to the voters in Iowa there, you know, that she knew McCain, she was trying to, you know, sort of furnish her own credentials perhaps. But I don't see how that's offensive in any way. If John McCain would be alive watching this campaign unfold right now, what would he be saying day by day? So, I thought it was a little odd of Meghan McCain but clearly, she is showing that she, you know, wants to -- or she's not afraid of getting involved herself in this -- in the dialogue.</s>KING: Although she is a cast member of "The View" obviously.</s>ZELENY: Right.</s>KING: One of the cast members of "The View" and she didn't say anything about this today. It could have been an opportunity if she wanted to continue this conversation.</s>DAVIS: It's interesting what Klobuchar did, I remember -- I'm sure Jeff remembers this too in the early days of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, he would often talk about his travels with Republican senators on CODELs to try to burnish his own credentials and to try to show that he was willing to work across the aisle. You don't actually see that in Democratic presidential politics especially in this primary that much. The idea of working across the aisle in some cases is actually frowned upon. Klobuchar is one of those exceptions who does want to show that she has relationships. Joe Biden, of course, is the other notable exception.</s>KING: And to that point though, one time, sometimes it does come up and it's interesting that it is him with John McCain where several Democrats have mentioned John McCain as they try to make their points. But sometimes to your point, it's not about bipartisanship, it's about Trump and healthcare.</s>SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That early morning hour in your United States capitol when the late great John McCain walked in and with that thumb pointed it down and said no, enough.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John McCain was a valuable ally.</s>BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He showed civility and a commitment to service in the country above party that is absolutely missing at the highest levels of power today. So, God bless John McCain.</s>SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He maligns John McCain. That is a man of fear.</s>KING: At the beginning and the end there, more of an attack on Trump if you will in mentioning.</s>KNOX: Yes, and Trump refers to that vote but doesn't usually call out McCain by name. I'm interested in the fact that most of these Democrats if they were voting on a piece of legislation, would probably not vote with John McCain on many of them.</s>KIM: And what's interesting, too, is even in polling, you saw among Democratic voters, John McCain was actually more popular among Democrats than he was among Republicans, particularly after that thumbs down vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act.</s>KING: And Meghan McCain objected to what Senator Klobuchar said and we'll see if that conversation continues. Cindy McCain has been silent on this, the late senator's wife. There were some questions when Joe Biden got in the race, there was some chatter whether she's going to endorse Joe Biden. The last time she has spoken out about presidential politics, this was April 24th tweet where she said, "Joe Biden is a wonderful man and a dear friend of the McCain family. However, I have no intention of getting involved in presidential politics. And then on May 9th to the Washington Post, she said, "I think what's best for me is to not just stay out of it but make my own self happy. And presidential politics is combat." So Meghan McCain is joining, Cindy McCain at least for now just trying to say no, thank you.</s>DAVIS: And there were some questions -- I think that the reason that this came out is because Biden and John McCain and their families are incredibly close. They've bought gone through these horrific personal experiences with cancer, and so they've really bonded not about politics but about their families and about these health issues that they had. And so there was some question about whether that closeness would translate into politics. I think Cindy McCain is saying something that actually is quite healthy, that you can have personal relationships and they don't have to necessarily also be political always.</s>KING: But if you think about that, that is a time that's gone, disappeared, and that Biden and McCain think about partitioning Iraq, and things like that. They, boom, in the Senate over many foreign policy issues. They were on the opposite sides but they were able to -- when the committee hearing was over, the speeches were over, they were friends and then later bonded over the personal troubles of the family. But the president has from time to time, you're right, sometimes he's been told if asked, begged, not to use the name, but sometimes he can't resist.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted. I didn't get a thank you. That's OK. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a fan of John McCain. John McCain went thumbs down. He did the Republican Party a tremendous disservice and he did the nation a tremendous disservice. We had one man that after campaigning for eight years, he decided to go thumbs down at 2:00 in the morning. That's all right, but we'll end up with even better.</s>KING: And we know that Meghan McCain has objected repeatedly to that calling it classless and tasteless and more.</s>ZELENY: As she had, and she's also said it's very sad that he can't sort of spend time with his own family and talk about positive things. So look, I think John McCain, there's no question whoever brings him up, perhaps both sides will bring him up. He is going to be one of the many towering figures, sort of hanging over this election. But if he was here, if he was watching, he would want to be involved I think here. So I think his memory will be in either case.</s>KING: He said he enjoyed the arena. That was the way will put it. Enjoyed being in the arena. Up next for us, the early frontrunner back in the public eye. What's the campaign strategy behind Vice President Biden's low profile?