Meghan McCain Says Musical About Her Dad Is 'Trash'

'Ghost of John McCain' depicts late senator as a ghost in Trump's brain
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 3, 2024 2:11 PM CDT
Meghan McCain Says Musical About Her Dad Is 'Trash'
"I hope it bombs," Meghan McCain said.   (Lou Rocco/ABC via AP)

John McCain's daughter isn't happy about an upcoming musical comedy that depicts the late senator as a ghost haunting Donald Trump's brain. "This is trash," Meghan McCain said in a post on X Tuesday night, describing the Off-Broadway production as "nothing more than a gross cash grab by mediocre desperate people." She added: "I hope it bombs." She was responding to a Deadline report that Ghost of John McCain will have its world premiere this fall. It is set to run at the Soho Playhouse from Labor Day weekend until Nov. 5—Election Day. Writer Scott Elmegreen says he believes the family will love the production.

John McCain is a "universally respected and important figure" in the dialogue about American politics and "he certainly lives on inside the mind of Donald Trump," Elmegreen said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

  • Elmegreen said Ghost of John McCain "is a psychological exploration" of what an afterlife in Trump's brain might be like for McCain, "as he gathers a 'Greek Chorus' coalition of Hillary Clinton, Eva Perón, Teddy Roosevelt, Taylor Swift, and everyone else squatting rent free up there to rebel against the former president's relentless demands for affirmation."
  • A press release that described the musical's themes as "power, rivalry, and the human condition" listed Roy Cohn, Robert Jordan, and Lindsey Graham as other figures in Trump's brain, per the Hollywood Reporter.
  • Producers include longtime McCain campaign consultant Max Fose. "Having served him for nearly two decades, I believe Senator McCain would laugh at this entertainment and be grateful his legacy continues to spark important conversation, from the serious to the absurd," he said in a statement, per Deadline. "Our hope is that this musical will remind America our democracy is worth fighting for."
(More Meghan McCain stories.)

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