Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Senator John McCain, shut down Senate candidate Kari Lake’s offer to meet up for coffee in a scathing social media post on Wednesday.
On Monday, Lake, an Arizona Republican politician and an ally to former President Donald Trump, said in an interview with Arizona radio station KTAR that she had been joking when she ridiculed John McCain during her failed run for Arizona governor in the 2022 election. Trump has been a fierce critic of John McCain even after his death in 2018.
Lake told the radio station that at the time, she was taking “nuclear bomb-style incoming, tens of millions of dollars in attack ads from a McCain Republican.” She said: “It was said in jest. And I think that if John McCain, who had a great sense of humor, would have heard it, he would have laughed.”
Among her insults was when Lake said at a rally in November 2022, “We don’t have any McCain Republicans in here, do we? Get the hell out!”
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
During her radio interview, Lake said the GOP needs to “get a little bit thicker skin because we’re going through some tough stuff right now and we need to be able to take a joke.”
Meghan McCain ripped into Lake following her interview, writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, “Kari Lake is trying to walk back her continued attacks on my Dad (& family) and all of his loyal supporters after telling them to ‘get the hell out’. Guess she realized she can’t become a Senator without us. No peace, b****. We see you for who you are – and are repulsed by it.”
Lake tried to publicly smooth things over with Meghan McCain, replying to her post: “Hi Meghan, As mothers, (both with two kiddos) [I] know we both agree that our children’s future is too important to let it slip away over past grudges or hurt feelings. That’s why I’m working hard to unite Republicans, Independents, Democrats — ALL Americans.”
The Senate candidate tried to connect with Meghan McCain, writing: “My dad passed away from cancer, too. I trust and believe that if our fathers were still with us they would do everything they could to save this Republic.”
“I’d love nothing more than to buy you a beer, a coffee or lunch and pick your brain about how we can work together to strengthen our state,” Lake said. “My team is sending you my contact info — if you’re willing to meet, it would mean a lot to me. Thank you, Meghan. I hope we can connect soon! God bless.”
In a heated, yet simple response, Meghan McCain replied to Lake’s post: “NO PEACE, B****!”
Newsweek reached out to Meghan McCain via Instagram direct message and Lake via online form for comment.
Meghan McCain has previously said that she will not be voting for Trump, the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential election nor President Joe Biden, the Democratic incumbent.
The “Republicans Against Trump” account on X praised Meghan McCain’s brutal rebuke toward Lake, replying to it with three fire emojis.
Meanwhile, Lake’s campaign X account called “Kari Lake War Room” posted: “All Kari can do is extend the olive branch. If you refuse to take it, that’s your call. This kind of blind anger is not conducive to bringing Arizona together. It won’t stop Kari from trying.”
Lake has been endorsed by Trump and is up against Representative Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, for the Senate seat currently occupied by Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Independent.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.