Vice President Pence spoke at the Capitol on Friday, where the late Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainOvernight Defense: McCain honored in Capitol ceremony | Mattis extends border deployment | Trump to embark on four-country trip after midterms Congress gives McCain the highest honor Poll: More Dems approve of McCain than Republicans after his death MORE (R-Ariz.) is lying in state. “The president asked me to be here on behalf of a grateful nation to pay a debt of honor and respect to a man who served our country throughout his life, in uniform and in public office,” said Pence, who was representing President Trump Donald John TrumpCalifornia lawmakers pass stiffest net neutrality law in US Trump criticizes ABC/WaPo poll that found support for impeachment Trump hails unions, touts trade moves in Labor Day message MORE, who was not in attendance. Trump, who has mocked McCain for being captured during the Vietnam War, was asked to stay away from the Capitol service, people close to the White House and the McCain family said. The ceremony was the first of two days of services in Washington honoring the Arizona senator, who served in Congress for 35 years.
– Much of Washington, DC, came to a halt on Friday to honor the late John McCain, whose casket is now lying in state in the US Capitol. Among those to speak was Vice President Mike Pence, who stood in for President Trump. “The president asked me to be here on behalf of a grateful nation to pay a debt of honor and respect to a man who served our country throughout his life, in uniform and in public office,” said Pence. “As President Trump said yesterday, we respect his service to the country." Before McCain died, the former Arizona senator asked that Trump not attend his funeral, notes the Hill. "It is only right that today, near the end of his long journey, John lies here, in this great hall, under the mighty dome, like other American heroes before him," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, per the AP. House Speaker Paul Ryan called McCain "one of the bravest souls our nation has produced," even if he did "talk like a sailor." On Saturday, McCain's casket will be taken to Washington National Cathedral for a formal funeral, and it will pause at the Vietnam Memorial along the way. McCain is just the 31st American to lie in state in the Capitol. (Trump defended his White House's handling of McCain's death.)