Lindsey Graham advises Donald Trump to stop campaigning on his 'personality'

lindsey graham
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is playing campaign adviser.

On Thursday, Graham offered President Trump a little advice for his 2020 re-election campaign, The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim reports.

"Just make it more about policy, and less about your personality," Graham said.

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Graham, who called then-candidate Trump "a race-baiting xenophobic bigot" who should "go to hell" back in 2015 before flipping to become one of his most outspoken backers in the Senate, has been known to occasionally criticize Trump's style and political strategies.

"Being kind of attached to this lawless crowd is going to be a problem eventually," said Graham, suggesting Trump find a way to focus his message on policy priorities and boost the economy as quickly as possible.

But Trump's personality has always been at the center of his political success. He reportedly loves rallies "as a chance to deliver his message unfiltered," aides told USA Today, meaning it's not likely he plans to tone down his strategy and pivot to a policy-driven campaign any time soon.

Even so, with Trump's numbers against his Democratic competitor, Joe Biden, sinking in poll after poll, he just might need to give Graham's advice a second look.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.