Sen. Lindsey Graham says his foreign policy is 'a clenched fist and an open hand'

During the five minutes he was allowed to speak at the Voters First Presidential Forum Monday in New Hampshire, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accused China of cheating when it comes to trade, said he would take on Vladimir Putin, warned that the United States is on its way to "becoming Greece," called President Obama "weak," and said Bill and Hillary Clinton do not tell the truth.

Graham was asked by moderator Jack Heath what he would do to maintain free trade that is fair trade, and also to name a nation that was "cheating" the U.S. "China's cheating," Graham responded. "They're manipulating currency to create a discount for products made in China and we don't do a damn thing about it. They're building islands over resource-rich property owned by others because they can. They cyber attack us, steal our intellectual property, and no one pushes back. If I'm president, we're going to push back against China." He added, "Here’s my foreign policy — a clenched fist and an open hand. You choose."

Graham also said he would be a "different person" for Putin to deal with, calling Obama "weak," and said he would arm Ukrainians "so they can fight for their own freedom" and "take every bit of natural gas we can from America in an environmentally-sound way that we don't use and export it to Europe to undercut Putin's monopoly." He also wants to "rebuild NATO" and the military, and believes "we are on our way to becoming Greece." He quickly switched gears to the Clintons, saying he's been "dealing with that crowd for 20 years" and is "fluent in Clinton speak." "When Bill says, 'I didn't have sex with that woman,' he did," Graham said. "When she says, 'I'll tell you about building the pipeline when I'm president,' she won’t. I understand this crowd, and I can beat them."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up