Senator Lindsey Graham’s Shift to Supporting Donald Trump Examined After His Death
Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday, had moved from early criticism of Donald Trump to becoming one of his most vocal supporters, a change he attributed to political relevance and state interests.
Senator Lindsey Graham died on Saturday, prompting renewed scrutiny of his decade-long political realignment toward former President Donald Trump. Once a vocal critic, Graham described Trump in 2016 as a “race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot” and voted for third-party candidate Evan McMullin. After Trump’s election, Graham began regularly defending the president, including on issues such as Ukraine aid and the administration’s stance toward Russia.
In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Graham said his support stemmed from a desire to stay relevant in Washington and to maintain political viability in South Carolina, where Trump remained popular. He noted, “If you don’t want to get re-elected, you’re in the wrong business.”
Analysts note that Graham’s influence on Trump was limited. While he reportedly helped persuade the president to back a sanctions bill against Russia and to retain some U.S. troops in Syria by presenting a map of potential oil flows, Trump later reversed that position. Graham’s attempts to shape policy were often framed in terms appealing to Trump’s preferences rather than detailed strategic arguments.
Authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, in their 2021 book Peril, suggest Graham recognized the shortcomings of Trump’s actions but continued to seek proximity to the president, believing Republican electoral success depended on Trump’s involvement. Former President Barack Obama later criticized Graham for repeatedly shifting positions to align with prevailing political winds.
Graham’s career, marked by earlier bipartisan work on climate and immigration and close ties with the late Senator John McCain, ended without a clear vindication of his later alignment with Trump.