MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski has high praise for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., saying Monday that the GOP could learn a thing or two about inclusivity from the 2016 long-shot Republican presidential candidate.
Brzezinski’s comments come on the heels of Graham saying this weekend that he’d happily accept the vote of Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, so long as Jenner agrees with the South Carolina lawmaker on national security issues.
“If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be safe and have a prosperous economy, vote for me,” Graham told CNN’s Dana Bash. “I’m into addition.”
“I haven’t walked in her shoes,” Graham said. “I don’t have all the answers to the mysteries of life, and I can only imagine the torment Bruce Jenner went through. I’m a pro-life, traditional kind of guy, but I’m running to be president of the United States. If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be a Republican, she is welcome in my party.”
Brzezinski appeared pleasantly surprised Monday morning when presented with video of Graham’s remarks.
“It would have been enough to say she’s welcome to the party, but I like the part about the mysteries of life,” she said, drawing nods of approval from her colleagues. “There was a certain ‘I’m not going to judge’ in there that the far right could use more of.”
“Morning Joe” agreed unanimously: Graham is doing the smart thing by welcoming Jenner with open arms, and perhaps the GOP should be taking notes.
Graham, considered by many to be a “hawk” when it comes to national defense and foreign policy, announced his campaign last Monday, telling a crowd gathered in his hometown that, “I want to be president to protect our nation that we all love so much from all threats foreign and domestic.”
