The late Republican Sen. John McCain's defense of then-Sen. Barack Obama from a racist voter at a 2008 town hall is going viral after President Donald Trump did nothing to halt racist chants at his Wednesday rally in North Carolina.

"John McCain" was a trending topic on Twitter throughout Thursday, with many users sharing a clip of an exchange between McCain and an older voter at a Minnesota town hall during his 2008 presidential run.

"No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign's all about," McCain said, referring to Obama.

Many social-media users said they missed McCain for how he handled the racism before him — and lamented the poor state of American politics.

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The late Republican Sen. John McCain's defense of then-Sen. Barack Obama from a racist voter at a 2008 town hall is going viral after President Donald Trump did not stop racism at his Wednesday evening rally in North Carolina.

At the rally, Trump did nothing to stop his supporters from chanting "send her back" for 13 seconds, referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of four progressive lawmakers of color that Trump told to "go back" to their "broken and crime infested" countries in a series of racist tweets on Sunday. Omar was born in Somalia, while the three other lawmakers were born in the US.

Read more: Trump supporters chant 'send her back' as the president attacks Ilhan Omar at rally in North Carolina

"John McCain" was a trending topic on Twitter throughout Thursday, with many users sharing a clip of an exchange between McCain and an older voter at a Minnesota town hall during his 2008 presidential run. The video highlights the stark difference between how Trump and McCain dealt with racism at their political rallies.

The 2008 McCain campaign event was particularly charged as voters expressed their raw anger and fear at the idea of an Obama presidency. Handed the microphone by McCain, the voter said she couldn't "trust" Obama and called him "an Arab."

McCain cut her off, taking the microphone back from her, and he stoutly defended his Democratic opponent.

"No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign's all about," McCain said.

Many social-media users said they missed McCain for how he handled the racism before him — and lamented the uncivil state of American politics.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to condemn Trump's nativist rhetoric, invoking McCain's name in his Senate floor speech.

"There's no John McCain anymore. When this kind of bitter racism emerged at his town hall meeting, he rejected it, publicly ... It went down in history as one of his finest moments," Schumer said. "Where are the fine moments of my colleagues?"

Trump tried to defuse the situation and distance himself from the chants on Thursday, saying he "disagreed" with them and was very "unhappy" with them.

Read more: 'I was not happy with it': Trump denounces attendees at his rally chanting 'send her back' about Rep. Ilhan Omar

Trump has a history of stirring crowds at his rallies with long and rambling speeches that blend nationalist and xenophobic rhetoric. And he encouraged crowds to use force against protesters who showed up to his events during his 2016 presidential campaign.