President Donald Trump resumed his campaign activities on Friday to bolster Sen. Darline Graham’s bid for office after her debate misstep cast doubts on her preparedness to succeed her late brother, raising questions about Trump’s endorsement.
At a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina rally, just days before the Senate runoff between Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman, Trump implored voters to back the sister of his ally, Lindsay Graham, a noted foreign policy expert who passed away last month.
“We’re going to elect Senator Darline Graham to fight, fight, fight for South Carolina and to always put America first,” Trump declared. “You vote for her, you’re going to be very proud of that vote.”
Trump paid tribute to his friendship with Lindsey Graham, highlighting the legacy of the South Carolina GOP stalwart who served in Congress for 31 years.
“I think Lindsey respected Darline more than any other person he knows, including me,” Trump added.
Trump had advocated for Darline Graham’s appointment to complete her brother’s term, endorsing her prior to her official campaign launch.
However, Trump’s endorsement value appears diminished, with several of his favored candidates losing recent primaries — including South Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who was defeated by state Attorney General Alan Wilson in the gubernatorial primary.
Trump’s gubernatorial pick in Wyoming lost earlier this week, alongside two Florida Republicans he backed in House primaries. Additionally, Mike Lindell, former CEO of MyPillow and a close ally, fell short in the Minnesota gubernatorial primary.
These losses follow earlier setbacks for Trump-endorsed candidates in Georgia, Michigan, and Iowa this year.
Trump praised Graham’s commitment to affordability and her stance on traditional conservative issues like the Second Amendment. He urged South Carolina Republicans to view Graham as a proxy for himself.
“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It’s so important,” he urged. “Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.”
Graham advanced to the runoff, leading Norman by eight percentage points. Yet, her debate slip on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, where she admitted to being “not that informed on national security” and that “national security is not my thing,” spurred criticism from Republicans in South Carolina and elsewhere about her credentials.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Norman supporter, criticized Graham’s debate response. Meanwhile, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford endorsed Norman hours before the rally, citing the high stakes as a reason not to support Graham.
Trump seemed unconcerned by Graham’s admission, telling reporters before the rally that her alignment with his agenda was paramount.
“She was just being honest,” Trump stated. “It hasn’t been her thing, but she’s surrounded by very good people, and she said that she’s totally for the military.”
“She’s going to do what the military wants, and really what the president wants,” he continued. “She understands that national security is my thing.”
Prior to Trump’s speech, Graham addressed concerns about her qualifications by referencing Trump’s lack of political experience before his 2016 win.
“The critics say I shouldn’t run for the senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” she declared, receiving applause. “By the way, President Trump had never served in an elected office before, and I think he’s done a damn good job.”
Trump’s appearance led to an endorsement before the rally from Gov. Henry McMaster, who noted Graham “continued Lindsey Graham’s work, and stood firmly with President Trump to advance his America First agenda” during her brother’s term.
The president’s visit to South Carolina — a rare openly advertised campaign rally among numerous official White House events promoting his endorsed candidates — constitutes a significant use of his political influence. Trump has mostly avoided in-person rallies for Senate candidates in battleground states, favoring social media and telerallies. He has also refrained from tapping into the $403 million fund of his primary super PAC, MAGA Inc., causing some concern among Republicans.
Trump informed reporters on Friday of his intent to spend “a lot of that money” to support “Republican candidates that I think are good,” without specifying further.
Trump cautioned about the implications of losing Congressional control in the midterms, suggesting that Democrats would pursue plans to investigate and impeach him.
“You’re going to lose everything,” he warned. “I’m going to have to go through impeachment.”
Alec Hernandez contributed to this report.
