Meghan McCain Recalls Meeting John Lewis at 14: It Was the First Time I Saw My Father “Deferential” to Anyone

The women of The View are offering a heartfelt tribute to civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, who died on Friday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The co-hosts praised Lewis’ decades-long fight for equality, and they each took a few minutes to reflect on their experiences with the 17-term Georgia congressman. Meghan McCain, in particular, shared a moving story about meeting Lewis for the first time at 14 years old. “It was one of those moments in my childhood that definitely has resonated with me for a very long time,” said the conservative co-host.

Moderator Whoopi Goldberg opened Monday’s show with a clip of Lewis’ 2018 appearance on The View, during which he discussed his legacy as a Civil Rights leader and his hopes for the country. “I want to continue to be part of an effort to make America one,” he said at the time. “Where we lay down the burden of race, the burden of hate, and create one society, one people.”

Joy Behar recalled that Lewis left her “verklempt” in a way that few other guests have, even President Obama. “I started to get a little bit welled up at the fact that we all had the honor to sit next to this man,” she said. “It’s very rare that you have a human being of this caliber.”

While many Republicans have offered their own tributes to Lewis, Behar said that they can truly honor the late congressman by passing the Voting Rights Act. “I’m happy that Mitch McConnell gave a tribute to him, but the Voting Rights bill, which basically was John Lewis’ main thing … has been sitting on McConnell’s desk for 225 days,” she said. “How about passing that bill, Mitch? That would do something for the legacy of John Lewis.”

A few minutes later, McCain offered her own reflection on Lewis’ legacy with a personal story about meeting him at her father’s office when she was 14. “It was important to [her father] that I heard this man’s story and knew who he was,” said the co-host. “I can remember when I was 14 not really ever seeing my dad deferential or in awe of anyone, and that was one of the first times.”

McCain added that while Lewis and her father “ended up having a political disagreement” when Sen. McCain ran for president — “I have no interest in rehashing it right now,” she said — but they were able to squash it. “When my dad passed, John Lewis put out one of the more beautiful statements of anyone,” she recalled.

“In this moment, we can have our political differences,” continued McCain. “But politics is messy, it’s complicated, and we are on different sides, that’s the very nature of it. But at the end of the day, we can come together as Americans and appreciate one of the great heroes and icons who has truly shaped history … It’s a very sad day for America because I don’t feel that we have the same kind of leadership up and coming right now on either side.”

Watch The View‘s tribute to John Lewis in the clip above.

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