South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is back to supporting former President Donald Trump. Now, he’s throwing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell under the bus.
Graham sang the praises of McConnell in a Fox News appearance before declaring that McConnell must establish a “working relationship” with Trump if he wants to continue to lead the Senate GOP. This echoes the veiled threat he made on Sean Hannity’s show Wednesday.
Republicans must be working as a team, according to Graham, and Trump is the captain of that team. If it comes down to the choice of Trump and McConnell, Graham is loudly proclaiming that he will choose Trump.
Obviously, it’s difficult to keep track of Graham’s view of Trump. During the presidential primary in 2015, Trump was a “complete idiot,” and Graham would “beat his brains out” in the South Carolina primary. “You know how you make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell,” Graham told CNN, adding that Trump was a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” Graham said in 2016 that “we should have basically kicked him out of the party.”
Then Trump won, and Graham worked to become his best friend. The two golfed regularly, and Graham spent four years defending then-President Trump to anyone who would listen. Then came the Jan. 6 riot, spurred by Trump’s refusal to accept that he lost to Joe Biden. “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey,” he said. “I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president, but today, first thing you’ll see. All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”
Apparently, it was not enough. Graham is now committed to the idea that Trump is going to run for president again in 2024, therefore the party must bend the knee to him once again. He chastised Republicans who won’t get in line by telling them this is a two-way street. Considering that Trump is continuing to claim the election was stolen from him, Graham’s two-way street only goes in one direction.
Trump is still whining about an election he lost. He sabotaged the GOP and consigned McConnell, Graham, and Senate Republicans to the minority for two years because of his own ego. Trump is a political liability, and he has shown no willingness whatsoever to try and get along with Republicans the way Graham is demanding his colleagues do with Trump. Why should McConnell’s success be tossed aside for the loser still throwing a tantrum about his loss?
Graham is playing the role of hostage negotiator and doing it poorly. Give Trump everything he wants and he will still be the volatile mess that will, purposefully or not, drag the party down and empower Democrats. Republicans have plenty of better, younger alternatives to Trump. Since Graham is nothing but a weather vane, all it would take is a little momentum to convince him to spin in yet another direction.
