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"I lived and died a proud American": Read Sen. John McCain’s final farewell message

The late Sen. John McCain urged Americans to avoid hiding “behind walls” and confusing patriotism with “tribal rivalries,” in his final statement to the U.S.

In his final words, the late Sen. John McCain urged Americans to avoid hiding “behind walls” and confusing patriotism with “tribal rivalries" — a message that seemed, in parts, directly aimed at Donald Trump, who spent the day studiously ignoring questions about the Arizona legislator.

Read more: Watch Donald Trump pretend he can’t hear questions about John McCain

McCain's farewell message was read aloud Monday afternoon by Rick Davis, the national campaign manager for his 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns. The Arizona senator died Saturday from brain cancer at the age of 81, after having had, in his words, “experiences, adventures, and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives.” “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe,” McCain, a frequent critic of Trump’s policies, wrote. “We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.” Before his passing, McCain made clear he didn’t want Trump to attend his funeral and asked Barack Obama and George W. Bush to eulogize him instead, according to CNN. Trump, no fan of McCain's, reportedly decided to tweet instead of releasing an official statement after his death. Still, despite their feud, McCain urged Americans to come together in his passing. “We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates,” McCain wrote. “But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement.” Here’s the full text of the statement:

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My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,

Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.

I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s.

I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America’s causes – liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people – brings happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.

‘Fellow Americans’ – that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process.

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We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.

We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.

Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening.

I feel it powerfully still.

Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America.

Cover image: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol February 5, 2015 in Washington, DC. McCain and a group of bipartisan senators spoke out in favor of arming Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)