Bridget McCain prefers a life out of the spotlight.
But as the daughter of a senator and two-time presidential candidate, that privacy was sometimes
tough to achieve.
Here are some things you may not know about John McCain's daughter Bridget.
Cindy and John McCain have always been transparent about Bridget's adoption, a topic they frequently
brought up during the late senator's 2008 presidential campaign.
As the story goes, Cindy first met Bridget at the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa
Children's Home in India, during a trip in 1991.
Cindy decided to bring two children home with her, she and John adopted Bridget, while the
other child found a home with a former McCain employee.
Cindy's stories about the adoption have been somewhat conflicting throughout the years,
particularly where it concerns the supposed involvement of Mother Teresa.
HuffPost reported that in earlier interviews, Cindy claimed that nuns had persuaded her
to bring Bridget to the United States.
This account changed in February 2008 during an interview with The Sunday Mail, in which
she stated:
"As only Mother Teresa can, she prevailed upon me to take this baby and another baby
to the United States for medical care."
Cindy also changed her campaign bio to reflect the claim, stating that, quote, "Mother Teresa
convinced" her to take the girls home.
In 2001, during John's fight to secure the Republican presidential nomination, a nasty
rumor circulated about Bridget's background.
According to The Nation, after John won the New Hampshire primary over his opponent, George
W. Bush, voters in South Carolina reportedly received a poll, asking,
"Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain...if you knew he had fathered
an illegitimate black child?"
It's not clear who came up with the smear tactic, but some people believe that Bush's
then political strategist, Karl Rove, was behind the scandal.
John addressed the painful rumor in an interview with DadMag, stating:
"A lot of phone calls were made by people who said we should be very ashamed about her,
about the color of her skin.
Thousands and thousands of calls from people to voters saying, 'You know the McCains have
a black baby.'
I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those."
Sadly, Bridget found out about the rumor years later after looking herself up on the internet.
Cindy told Harper's Bazaar,
"It just never clicked that she'd look herself up on the Internet.
She was so upset, took it so personally."
After Bridget learned of the ugly campaign smear against her family, she didn't let the
controversy break her spirit.
She persevered and adopted a practical attitude towards her dad's political ambitions, even
going so far as to lend her opinion before he ran for president again in 2008.
Cindy told Harper's Bazaar,
"Fortunately, she's an awfully strong girl.
When the family gathered to decide if we were going to run, she asked the campaign managers
such specific, good questions, I thought, Whoa, okay!"
According to a New York Times profile, she called for a meeting with John's aides before
the campaign kicked off.
She reportedly asked the aides to:
"Explain in detail what had happened in South Carolina...[and] to give assurances that it
would not happen again."
One person who probably wasn't surprised by Bridget's actions?
John, who proudly told DadMag,
"She's the toughest...The youngest always has to be the toughest."
John's oldest daughter, Meghan, has never shied away from the limelight, and in October
2017, she joined The View as a full-time co-host.
As for Bridget?
She's the total opposite of Meghan in a lot of ways.
Not only is her Instagram account private as of early 2020, but she doesn't participate
in public interviews or television appearances.
Bridget stepped outside of her comfort zone, however, after President Donald Trump publicly
attacked her late father's character.
Trump had criticized John back in 2015:
"He was a war hero because he was captured.
I like people that weren't captured, okay, I hate to tell you."
And the drama came to a head in March 2019 when he did it again.
"I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be."
Since the deceased senator wasn't able to defend himself, Bridget took to Twitter to
do the honors.
She tweeted, in part,
"Everyone doesn’t have to agree with my dad or like him, but I do ask you to be decent
and respectful.
If you can't do those two things, be mindful.
We only said goodbye to him almost 7 months ago."
"I think it's very brave of her.
She's very young, and she does not speak publicly."
Despite their personality differences, Bridget and Meghan are super tight.
Meghan wrote on Instagram in March 2019,
"Incredibly proud of my brave sister Bridget for speaking out against President Trump.
I love you more than I could ever possibly say.
Your strength and grace continues to help carry us all through our grief."
As it turns out, the siblings have always been close.
Not only did they share a bedroom growing up, but Meghan helped Bridget move into college
at Arizona State University.
According to The New York Times, Meghan gave Bridget some sisterly advice about the transition,
telling her,
"Do not put anything on Facebook you wouldn't want pasted on every gossip blog everywhere."
When John passed away in August 2018, his family, including Bridget, was by his side.
Cindy revealed to The Washington Post in May 2019 that the politician's bed was set up
on the family's home patio in Arizona, allowing him the opportunity to admire the landscape
he loved for so many years a final time.
Cindy also noted how Frank Sinatra's "My Way" was playing in the background when a hawk
flew by and sat in a tree near his bed.
She revealed,
"He heard the music, he saw the hawk.
He totally was in charge, and I mean this in the most loving way."
Bridget hasn't publicly addressed her father's death in detail, although her mom did share
some revelations about how the entire family was coping, saying,
"If there's one thing about the McCain clan: We're strong.
It has not been without bumps, obviously, these past few months.
But we know John's watching us, and we know he's going to remind us when we're not doing
things right.
We want his legacy to go on."
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