RELIGION

McCain slams Trump in Munich speech without using his name

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (The Associated Press)

Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (The Associated Press)

US-Senator John McCain speaks at the Munich Security Conference 2017 in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. The Munich Security Conference takes place from 17 to 19 February 2017. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP) (The Associated Press)

Republican Sen. John McCain has delivered a withering critique of President Donald Trump in a speech that highlights fractures within the GOP as the new administration struggles to overcome a chaotic start.

McCain spoke Friday at the Munich Security Conference. The Armed Services Committee chairman never mentioned the president's name while lamenting a shift in the United States and Europe away from the "universal values" that McCain says forged the Western alliance.

Trump has questioned NATO's value and sought instead to stoke a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has accused Putin of attempting to break the military alliance.

In his speech, McCain said "more and more of our fellow citizens seem to be flirting with authoritarianism and romanticizing it as our moral equivalent."