Lindsey Graham says he was afraid of Trump

“You know what I liked about Trump? Everybody was afraid of him, including me," said Graham

Published June 18, 2022 4:00AM (EDT)

Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)
Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on AlterNet.

United States Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday and shared his thoughts about what life was like under former President Donald Trump.

"You know what I liked about Trump? Everybody was afraid of him, including me," said Graham, who during the 2016 campaign cycle repeatedly criticized Trump and insisted that he should never be elected.

"If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it," Graham tweeted on May 3rd, 2016.

But once Trump became the commander in chief, Graham's tune changed, a fact upon which he touched in his speech.

"The Chinese ambassador came in and said, 'we're trying to figure out Trump,'" Graham continued, recalling, "I said, 'take a number and get in line."

Graham then added, "but here's one thing I can tell you about him. Don't cross him. Don't you miss that? Don't you miss an America that people respected and were a little bit afraid of?"

Watch below via The Recount:

Responses to Graham's rhetorical questions added up to a resounding 'no,' and users on social media were quick to note that the Republican Party has almost entirely succumbed to Trump's influence.

Graham, meanwhile, very openly admitted the "quiet part out loud."


By Brandon Gage

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