Republican Senator Lindsay Graham has denounced the recent Democratic National Convention as a “hate fest.” He made the remarks during an interview with Jake Tapper, while criticizing former President Barack Obama and others for hurling personal insults toward Donald Trump. He also accused the Democrats of being light on policy. Graham declared that he has advised former President Trump that he will win the election if he focuses on politics and doesn’t respond to Democrat attacks.
The South Carolina Senator also lashed out at the “joy” aspect of Kamala Harris’s campaign and said it doesn’t resonate in the real world. Mr. Graham argued that “60% of Americans are not joyful” and believe the United States is traveling in the wrong direction. The Senator then made a pitch for Donald Trump and said the economy was better under his leadership, and inflation has exploded with Democrats in the White House.
Nevertheless, the interviewer played a clip for Graham showing Donald Trump dismissing his advice about strategy, saying, “I don’t care what he says.” Trump added that Graham would never have been elected without his endorsement. Mr. Graham laughed off the clip and said he has a good relationship with Donald Trump.
The interview was broadcast just weeks after Graham called Trump a provocateur and a showman who would not win the election. He avoided questions about this and about Donald Trump’s plans to hold a January 6 awards ceremony at his Bedminster golf club in September. When asked if he thought such an event was a good idea, the Senator said Trump could support whatever causes he wanted to, before noting that Kamala Harris had supported Black Lives Matter rioters in 2020. He did admit, however, that from his perspective, January 6 protestors “who broke into the Capitol and assaulted police officers should go to jail.”
Donald Trump has repeated his pledge to release January 6 prisoners if he is elected in November. He has repeatedly referred to them as “hostages” and argues that many went to prison even though nobody died on January 6, whereas several people died during the 2020 Black Lives Matter nationwide demonstrations and there were few criminal justice recriminations.
