Updated Jul 18th 2015, 4:17 p.m. ET

Reacting swiftly to Donald Trump’s disparaging remarks Saturday about Sen. John McCain’s war service, the Republican National Committee issued a statement saying there was “no place in our party or our country” for such comments.

“Senator McCain is an American hero because he served his country and sacrificed more than most can imagine. Period,” said Sean Spicer, the RNC’s chief strategist and communications director. “There is no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honorably.”

The RNC’s rebuke came after Trump made the comments during an appearance in Iowa at the Family Leader Summit, where many of the GOP presidential contenders were in attendance.

Trump said McCain “is a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

It was only last week that the RNC let it be known that its chairman, Reince Priebus, had told Trump during a private phone call to “tone down” his controversial remarks about immigration. Trump responded mockingly to the reports of the scolding from Priebus, saying that Priebus “knows better than to lecture me.”

“We’re not dealing with a five-star Army general,” Trump said.