Is Lindsey Graham On The Down-Low Endorsing Trump?


First, it was the single worst (but funny!) presidential endorsement ever: Sen. Lindsey Graham for Ted Cruz. Now that Cruz is out of the race, Ballot Box blog on The Hill website is reporting that Sen. Graham is now encouraging his reluctant cohorts to support Trump. But there is a catch–Graham won’t admit to it. Is he on the down-low in his support?


Publicly, Graham has stated repeatedly he won’t vote for Trump. Earlier this month he was unequivocal about it.

“I also cannot in good conscience support Donald Trump because I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative nor has he displayed the judgment and temperament to serve as commander in chief,” said Graham.

His spokesman says that Graham’s position has not changed.

graham comm dir tweet

“There hasn’t been any change in his position,” said Bishop. “He’s been pretty upfront and outspoken.”

A GOP fundraiser at a private event in Florida told CNN that Graham did ask attendees to support Trump.

“He did say that we need to get behind him,” Teresa Dailey, a prominent Florida Republican fundraiser who attended the private event, told CNN.

As vocal as Graham has been about his belief that Trump is the wrong person to lead America, he has been equally vocal about not supporting a third party candidate, including himself.

Instead, Graham continues to say publicly that his emphasis is on the down ballot races in his native South Carolina and the rest of the states.

“If there was ever a time for the country to have conservative leadership in the House and the Senate it will be in 2017 because no matter who wins the president [sic], Clinton or Trump, we’re gonna need some rational people up there putting the brakes on some of these very bad ideas,” he said.

As recently as Friday, Graham declined to publicly endorse Trump, whom he continues to publicly criticize.


Whether or not his private comments are true, his communications director says the stories are “thinly sourced”, remains to be seen.

If they are, it is disappointing. Graham’s candor and bipartisanship have earned him the ire of his own party over the years, while earning him respect from Democrats.

This kind of down-low behavior is beneath him.

Featured image by U.S. Senate