Senator Lindsey Graham is a fascinating person. He took major heat during the Trump Administration for his growing friendship with the President and refusal to stab him in the back.
And, of course, he’s still taking heat for it, since the mainstream media can’t let their obsession with Trump go.
After all, ratings are ratings.
During the Trump Administration, supposedly pro-gay progressives constantly mocked Graham over rumors that he’s gay, calling him “Lady G” and saying Team Trump must have serious dirt on him that caused him to stand by the President.
Now Graham’s election is over. He won, thanks in part to his strong support for Trump. He can say what he wants and vent away about Trump. But he’s standing by him.
The news outlet Axios wanted to know why, and Graham spilled the beans in a revealing recent interview.
‘What I’m Trying to Do is Harness the Magic’
In the interview, Graham admits that Trump has a “dark side” but also said the President is an extraordinary individual with a kind of ability to bring people together that no other recent GOP leader had.
“What I’m trying to do is just harness the magic,” Graham said, noting he believes the party will be better moving forward with Trump than instead of without him.
Trump could make the GOP “bigger, he can make it stronger, he can make it more diverse. And he also could destroy it,” Graham added.
Despite the Jan. 6 riot, which Graham calls a very “dark day” for the country, Graham said he considers Trump a real friend and still believes the conservative movement will be much better off with him than without him.
“Donald Trump was my friend before the riot. I’m trying to keep a relationship with him after the riot. I still consider him a friend. What happened was a dark day in American history. And we’re going to move forward,” Graham said.
According to Graham the portrayal of himself as a lackey and underling to Trump is not accurate, and he pushes back against the President frequently such as telling him that he likely lost Arizona for “beating on the dead guy called John McCain.”
McCain was one of Graham’s best friends and a close political ally who ended up being strongly anti-Trump.
.@LindseyGrahamSC to @jonathanvswan: "I could throw [Trump] over tomorrow. Why aren't I?"
Swan: "Yeah. That's what I really don't understand."
Graham: "Well, then you don't understand me very much."
Swan: "I don't. That's why I'm asking you." #AxiosOnHBO pic.twitter.com/ASwsqPUIdw
— Axios (@axios) March 8, 2021
What Does Graham Really Think of Trump?
In the interview Graham said that even though he could throw Trump overboard tomorrow he doesn’t wish to do so because it’s too predictable and easy.
“What’s hard is to take a movement that I think is good for the country, trying to get the leader of the movement, who’s got lots of problems facing him and the party and see if we can make a go of it,” Graham said.
What’s clear in Graham’s remarks is that Trump made a strong impression on him and he truly believes that 45 is the man to lead the conservative movement forward. There’s no real reason to think he’s faking it, and it’s obvious that some of Trump’s larger-than-life charisma rubbed off on Graham and is making him still stand by Trump.
Although he wasn’t all positive and admitted Trump has a “dark side,” it’s obvious that Graham mostly respects the President and doesn’t blame him for Jan. 6. Graham also opened up in the interview about his true feelings on Trump.
According to the South Carolina Senator, Trump is a dynamic figure who to him “is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms, Ronald Reagan and PT Barnum. I mean, just bigger than life.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
