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Trump could have told a fan the truth about Harris. He refused

Donald Trump could have drawn the line at a supporter's illicit comments about Kamala Harris. Of course Trump screwed up.

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Donald Trump had his John McCain moment over the weekend.

Or what could have been his John McCain moment?

You'll remember that a gazillion years ago, in 2008, McCain ran for president against a man named Barack Obama.

It was a hard-fought race like any other, fought at a time of an unpopular president, an unpopular war and an economic crisis unlike any in our lifetime.

Many details of this race have faded over time. But there was that one night in October 2008.

This one night.

McCain demanded respect for Obama

Obama was climbing in the polls and McCain was holding a town hall meeting in a high school gym in Lakeville, Minnesota. One by one, his supporters came forward to angrily denounce Obama, calling him a “liar” and a “terrorist.”

Then a 75-year-old woman went to the microphone.

“I have to ask you a question,” she said as McCain nodded. “I can't trust Obama. I read about him and he's not – he's not – he's an Arab. And – “

McCain shook his head and reached for the microphone.

“No, ma'am,” he replied. “He’s a decent family man, a citizen who I happen to disagree with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is about.”

His supporters grumbled and urged him to take more aggressive action against the Democratic candidate. One man told McCain that his wife was pregnant and that he was “scared about raising his child in a country with President Obama.”

“He's a decent human being and a human being you shouldn't be afraid of as president,” McCain responded. “If I didn’t believe I would be a far better president, I wouldn’t be running, and that’s the point. I admire Senator Obama and his accomplishments; I will respect him. I want everyone to be respectful, and let's make sure we are. Because that’s how politics should be done in America.”

Trump could have said the same thing about Harris

Be respectful… because that's how politics should be done in America.

Fast forward to Saturday evening when Donald Trump rallied his supporters in Greensboro, North Carolina

Trump refocused on the most important question as America goes to the polls – whether Vice President Kamala Harris worked at a McDonald's in Alameda, California, in the summer of 1983.

“It's terrible when Kamala says she worked at McDonald's,” Trump said. He added: “It's so simple, she's a liar, a real liar, not a good liar but she's a major liar and when you lie about something so simple. So she never worked there-“

Opinion: Trump or Harris? A safe way to make a decision

“She was working on a corner!” shouted a man in the crowd.

Here was Trump's McCain moment, his chance to draw a line in the sand – to say, “No, sir.”

I want to say that I may vehemently disagree with Harris' politics, but she is a decent person. And you can show your respect even by voting for me.

Instead, Trump laughed and looked around to find the man who made the remark. Then he pointed, shook his head and was silent for about 15 seconds.

“This place is incredible,” he finally said.

Instead, Trump chose not to do the decent thing

“Remember,” he added, “it’s other people saying it. That’s not me.”

So says the man whose campaign gave a stage at last week's Madison Square Garden rally to a businessman who compared Harris to a prostitute who has “pimps.”

The man who hosts rallies where vendors hawk T-shirts that refer to Harris as “Ho.”

The man who, according to surveys, is lagging behind compared to women.

Trump cannot control what T-shirts his supporters will buy, what his surrogates will say to rally his supporters, or what even the lowest of his base will believe.

But here on Saturday, at the end of his campaign, Trump had a chance to stand up and do the decent thing.

To be a little like John McCain, a man who would never be president but knew exactly what it meant to be president.

Reach Roberts at [email protected]. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz and on threads at @LaurieRobertsaz.

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