MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan has slammed Bob Dole just hours after the WWII veteran's death because he supported Donald Trump 'after four years racism and neo-fascism.'
Dole, who served Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, died at the age of 98 on Sunday morning following a battle with cancer. He was one of the few members of the GOP establishment to support Trump in 2016 and continued backing him in 2020.
Responding to a tweet by The New York Times which spoke of how Dole 'overcame grievous war wounds', Hasan wrote his own headline: 'Bob Dole, who endorsed and voted for Trump twice, and called himself a "Trumper" as recently as July, has passed away.'
Liberals and conservatives alike were furious with the privately-educated British anchor for the 'zero class' take.
Former Democrat strategist Lanny Davis replied: 'This is in bad taste @mehdirhasan. An unfortunate misjudgment.'
Democratic congressional candidate Christopher Hale said: 'He fought and was paralyzed in World War II so MSNBC anchors could trash him freely after his recently deceased body was still warm.'
Responding to a tweet by The New York Times which spoke of how he 'overcame grievous war wounds', Hasan (pictured on his MSNBC show) wrote his own headline: 'Bob Dole, who endorsed and voted for Trump twice, and called himself a 'Trumper' as recently as July, has passed away'
Bob Dole (C) receives the Congressional Gold Medal from Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R), as (L-R) Rep. Lynn Jenkins, Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump watch, during a ceremony at the US Capitol on January 17, 2018 in Washington, DC
'He was also a hero who served his country proudly in WWII. But what does that matter, right?,' conservative radio host Tony Katz chimed in.
But Hasan refused to backdown, later adding: 'This is all true, as is the fact that he was a World War 2 veteran, and gave his life to public service, and should be praised for both, but to be clear: "his GOP" is Trump's GOP - Dole called himself a "Trumper" and voted for Trump twice. Twice. I can't, or won't, get pass that.'
The Oxford graduate continued: 'You can be the most amazing person on earth but if you voted for Trump again after 4 years of racism and neo-fascism, and 100s of 1000s of dead Americans, that will be remembered and commented upon when it comes time for the obits. Well, by some of us, at least.'
Dole served in World War II as part of the Army reserves. He was deployed to Italy as a second lieutenant in 1944 where he was nearly killed by a German explosive during combat in the mountainous Apennine region
Hasan also shared a link to an article about how Trump attacked war veteran Senator John McCain after his death.
Other commentators agreed with Hasan, saying that it was simply factual to remember that as well as his military service and political career, Dole threw his support wholeheartedly behind Trump.
'Accurate reporting on former Senator Bob Dole's life will note he served his country admirably for decades, as a soldier and elected leader, before casting his lot with Donald Trump and maintaining that support, even after the insurrection against the United States on January 6th,' former Obama administration official Brandon Friedman said.
Progressive writer Aaron Rupar wrote, 'A significant part of Bob Dole's legacy is his staunch support of Trump. He said 'I'm a Trumper' as recently as July.'
Dole was one of the few members of the traditional GOP establishment to endorse Trump's run for presidency back in 2016, and the only former presidential nominee to attend the Republican National Convention where Trump was nominated.
'Bob Dole was an American war hero and true patriot for our Nation. He served the Great State of Kansas with honor and the Republican Party was made stronger by his service,' Trump wrote of Dole.
'Our Nation mourns his passing, and our prayers are with Elizabeth and his wonderful family.'
However, Dole eventually broke away from Trump and his MAGA political line, saying he undoubtedly lost his reelection campaign following the 2020 presidential race, which he ultimately lost to Joe Biden.
'He lost the election, and I regret that he did, but they did,' Dole said according to a USA Today report.
'He had Rudy Giuliani running all over the country, claiming fraud. He never had one bit of fraud in all those lawsuits he filed and statements he made.'
'I'm a Trumper,' Dole added during the same conversation.
'I'm sort of Trumped out, though,' he said in a separate interview.
Biden on Sunday ordered all US flags on public ground to fly at half-staff until sunset on December 9 to honor the political giant.
Dole was pro-Trump and was one of the first establishment Republicans to endorse him in 2016. He told USA Today in a 2021 interview: 'I'm a Trumper. I'm sort of Trumped out, though'
Dole (left) and then-Vice President Joe Biden (right) pictured together during a ceremony to dedicate a plaque honoring Dole at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington on April 12, 2011
'It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep,' the Elizabeth Dole Foundation tweeted on Sunday.
'At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years. More information coming soon,' the statement continues.
In February 2021, Dole announced he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and in July 2021 was receiving immunotherapy to treat the disease, forgoing chemotherapy due to its negative effect on his body.
Dole served in the Senate for 27 years and was the Republican presidential nominee in 1996, losing to incumbent Clinton.
Before that, President Gerald Ford chose Dole as his running mate in the 1976 election after Vice President Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from seeking a full term. Ford was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the general election.
Dole also sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, but quickly dropped out of the race he was also defeated in the 1988 Republican primaries by Vice President George H. W. Bush.
He represented Kansas in the Senate and during the final 11 years of his tenure served as the Republican Leader of the upper chamber, which included three nonconsecutive years as Senate Majority Leader.
First entering politics as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1951, Dole then served as a County Attorney there before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Dole leaves behind his wife Elizabeth, 85, and daughter Robin, 67.
Shortly after arriving back at the White House from Camp David on Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden sent a statement on Dole's passing.
Dole was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton on January 17, 1997
Bill Clinton, who beat Dole to win a second term in the White House in 1996, said the late Republican's example should 'inspire people' for years to come
Barack Obama appeared to take a veiled jab at modern-day Republicans with his statement
George W. Bush referenced a famous image during which a frail and wheelchair-bound Dole stood up with support to salute his father George H.W. Bush's casket
'A month after being sworn in as President, one of the first conversations I had with anyone outside the White House was with our dear friends, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, at their home in Washington,' Biden wrote. 'Bob had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and I was were there (sic) to offer the same support, love, and encouragement that they showed me and Jill when our son Beau battled cancer, and that the Doles have shown us over the half century we've been friends.'
Biden served as a U.S. senator with Dole for 24 years.
'In the Senate, though we often disagreed, he never hesitated to work with me or other Democrats when it mattered most,' Biden said in his statement.
'Bob was an American statesman like few in our history,' he added. 'A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. I will miss my friend. But I am grateful for the times we shared, and for the friendship Jill and I and our family have built with Liddy and the entire Dole family.'
'Bob was a man to be admired by Americans. He had an unerring sense of integrity and honor. May God bless him, and may our nation draw upon his legacy of decency, dignity, good humor, and patriotism for all time.'
Born in Russell, Kansas in 1923, Dole joined thousands of young men in his time by signing up to fight in World War II as part of the Army reserves.
He was deployed to Italy as a second lieutenant in 1944 where he was nearly killed by a German explosive during combat in the mountainous Apennine region.
Dole announced in February 2021 that he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. On December 4, 2018, Dole stands and salutes the casket of H.W. Bush as it lied in state at the Capitol. George W. Bush said on Sunday, 'I will always remember Bob's salute to my late dad at the Capitol, and now we Bushes salute Bob and give thanks for his life of principled service'
In 1945 Dole led the assault near Castel D'Aiano and was struck just as he was helping a fallen soldier.
'As the mortar round, exploding shell, or machine gun blast - whatever its was, I'll never know - ripped into my body, I recoiled, lifted off the ground a bit, twisted in the air, and fell face down in the dirt,' Dole recounted in his autobiography One Soldier's Story.
He waited an agonizing nine hours before medics could evacuate him to a local field hospital.
Once back home Dole was forced to undergo multiple surgeries and three years of rehabilitation, and never fully regained function in his right arm, only able to move his fingers. For the rest of his public life he carried a pen in that hand to make it appear more normal and deter people from shaking hands with him on that side.
But Dole had said in past interviews it was the injury and the possibility of facing a life where it consumed him that helped push him into politics.
'In moments of self-pity, I saw myself going through life unmarried, selling pencils on street corners and living off a disability pension,' he told The Topeka-Capital Journal in a past interview, adding that his doctor 'In moments of self-pity, I saw myself going through life unmarried, selling pencils on street corners and living off a disability pension.'
It also turned him into a disability rights advocate, starting the Dole Foundation in 1983 to support people living with disabilities and was a key advocate for 1990's landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
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