Donald Trump says he won’t apologize for denigrating John McCain’s service during the Vietnam War.

He won’t say he’s sorry for telling an audience in Iowa that McCain’s status as a war hero is “only because he was captured. I prefer people who weren’t captured.”

He won’t take back the statement that has offended other military veterans — not to mention those who also were captured by enemy forces and subjected to torture, not just in Vietnam but in all wars dating back to World War II.

This digging in by Trump perhaps might the most unsurprising aspect of the firestorm that has erupted on the 2016 presidential campaign trail.

You see, to apologize means that the person doing the apologizing needs to feel shame for what he or she said.

Donald Trump is shameless to the max. His sole purpose in making outrageous statements is to get people talking about him.

I consider Trump to be a political buffoon and an embarrassment to the Republican Party, whose presidential nomination he’s seeking.

However, I do not think he’s a stupid man. I am quite certain he knows precisely what he’s saying and he expects precisely the reaction he gets when he says these things.

Should he take back what he said about Sen. McCain — the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee? Of course he should.

First, though, he’s got to reveal some shame.

I do not expect him to do that. Neither should anyone else.