Donald does it again: Trump gives out Lindsey Graham's cell phone number at campaign rally

"I don't know if it's the right number, let's try it," Trump tells a crowd in Graham's home state

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published July 21, 2015 5:25PM (EDT)

Donald Trump                                                (Reuters/Chris Keane)
Donald Trump (Reuters/Chris Keane)

Today's Donald Trump beef started this morning when Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham implored Trump to "stop being a jackass," to which Trump fired back in Trump style -- publicly exposing Graham's personal cell phone number.

On "CBS This Morning," Graham repeatedly called Trump "the world's biggest jackass," saying it's had enough of Trump's offensive rhetoric. Graham took the most offense to Trump's recent diss of Graham's close friend Sen. John McCain's record as a war hero, "I'm looking for him to be a responsible member of the 16-person primary and stop saying stuff like this."

Trump quickly shot back. During a rally in Graham's home state of South Carolina, the GOP frontrunner mocked Graham -- who isn't even listed in the Real Clear Politics poll tracker -- as a "beggar." Trump recalled a time when Graham allegedly called the billionaire to solicit an on-air mention during Trump's appearance on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" and a campaign contribution. According to Trump, he didn't know who Graham was at the time (he said the call occurred three or four years ago) but insisted he obliged. Trump then told the audience at the Bluffton retirement community that he kept Graham's number and wrote it down, holding up a piece of paper before reading a phone number aloud, saying, "I don't know if it's the right number, let's try it .... give it a shot." Trump continued through the laughter, "your local politician, you know, he won't fix anything but at least he'll talk to you."

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Watch that portion of Trump's speech via South Carolina's The State newspaper (he gives out the number at around 2:30):


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

MORE FROM Sophia Tesfaye


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2016 Elections Donald Trump Gop Lindsey Graham Video