The son of the late Republican Senator John McCain – whose war record was criticized by Donald Trump – has joined the criticism of the former president’s controversial visit to Arlington Cemetery, accusing McCain of desecrating a sacred burial ground for political purposes.

First Lt. Jimmy McCain, an intelligence officer in the National Guard’s 158th Infantry Regiment, said Trump’s behavior at the cemetery — America’s most revered burial site for fallen service members and military heroes — was consistent with previous acts of disrespect.

He told CNN that Trump’s stance on military service had driven him away from his father’s Republican Party, adding that he had changed his registered voter status to Democratic and planned to vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election.

Trump’s reputation for disdain for military personnel dates back to his first presidential campaign in 2016, when he said McCain Sr., who died in 2018, did not deserve war hero status because he was captured during the Vietnam War.

He has since reportedly called American soldiers buried in a World War I cemetery in France “suckers” and “losers” and questioned the value of the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is typically awarded for military heroism.

McCain said the shift in his political leanings was influenced by Trump’s comments about his father. “When I hear things (from Trump) like, he was a loser because he got jailed — I don’t think I could ever unsee that,” he said.

But he also suggested that Trump had effectively disgraced the service of fallen soldiers in last week’s episode. “These men and women who are lying there in the ground, they don’t have a choice,” said McCain, whose grandfather and great-grandfather are buried at Arlington.

The Republican presidential candidate faced widespread criticism and a rebuff from the U.S. military after a visit to the cemetery, ostensibly to mark the third anniversary of a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, turned into a campaign photo opportunity.

Trump campaign staff members reportedly pushed aside a female cemetery worker when she tried to enforce a federal rule that prohibits bringing camera and film equipment into Section 60, a section reserved for victims of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Photos and footage were later released of a smiling Trump giving a thumbs-up as he posed next to family members of the fallen service members, who had invited him. The graves of other service members — whose families did not give permission — are clearly visible in the background. Some have condemned the visit.

Trump has defended his position and has received statements of support from relatives of six members of the armed forces killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing.

In a statement on his Truth Social site on Wednesday, he went a step further, accusing Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, of making up the story and claiming there was no altercation.

“There was no conflict or ‘fight’ at Arlington National Cemetery last week,” he wrote. “It was a fabricated story by Comrade Kamala and her disinformation team. She made it all up to make up for the fact that she and Sleepy Joe (Biden) have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS for the INCOMPETENT AFGHANISTAN withdrawal.”

McCain told CNN that Trump’s actions stemmed from feelings of insecurity about his own lack of military experience.

“It was a violation,” he said. “I think anyone who’s spent a lot of time in uniform understands that inherently — that it’s not about you. It’s about these people who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country.”

“A lot of these men and women who served their country chose to do something bigger than themselves. They woke up one morning, they signed on the dotted line, they raised their right hand, and they chose to serve their country. And that’s an experience that Donald Trump hasn’t had. And I think that’s something he thinks about a lot.”