Cindy McCain has said she will “never get over” Donald Trump's attacks on her late husband, John McCain's his legacy as an American war hero.

The widow of the Arizona senator addressed controversial remarks the president has repeatedly made that he does not consider Mr McCain a “war hero” because he was captured during the Vietnam War, saying, “I like people that weren't captured.”

When asked whether she was “hurt” by those comments during an interview with BBC, Ms McCain replied: “Yeah I was. I thought it was inappropriate and wrong. I really did. It hurt the family, too.”

She added, “I think that was a wrong thing to say and I … I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, if I’m being honest. But I’m the wife, that’s my prerogative, I don’t have to.”

Ms McCain, who became regarded as a “political force” alongside her husband during his tenure in the Senate, has kept notably quiet about Mr Trump’s presidency since he made it to the Oval Office in 2016.

On Wednesday, the Republican refused to commit to voting to Mr Trump in the 2020 election, suggesting she did not believe the president was guaranteed to seek a second term.

“You know, I don’t even know if he’s going to run, and he’s not sure, I don’t believe he’s sure he’s going to run,” she said. “At this point, I’d like to see some softening of the rhetoric, I really would.”

“It’s hard,” she continued. “It’s hurtful.”

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The president was not invited to Mr McCain’s funeral earlier this year, though several members of his administration — including Vice President Mike Pence — attended the historic occasion alongside former first families.