Sen. John McCain got some backlash for a "joke" he tweeted at the president of Iran's expense Monday.

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he hopes to be the first Iranian in space.

Only 25¢ for 5 months

Unlimited Digital Access. Cancel anytime.

Already a subscriber?

Sen. John McCain got some backlash for a "joke" he tweeted at the president of Iran's expense Monday.

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he hopes to be the first Iranian in space.

McCain then tweeted, "So Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian in space -- wasn't he just there last week?" He then linked to an article about Iran launching a monkey into space last week.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) lashed out at the "racist" joke. McCain responded, "Re: Iran space tweet -- lighten up folks, can't everyone take a joke?"