Lindsey Graham says Trump can be 'a handful,' but is 'the most dominant figure' in the GOP
Using a description typically reserved for small children and unruly puppies, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday night called former President Donald Trump "a handful."
Trump, a 74-year-old grandfather of 10, released a blistering statement on Tuesday afternoon attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in response to McConnell saying that Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Hours later, Graham appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News show and said McConnell needs to grasp that while "Trump can be a handful," he is "the most dominant figure in the Republican Party," and without him, the GOP doesn't have "a snowball's chance in hell of taking back the majority."
Graham praised Trump as being "a hell of a president on all the things conservatives really believe in," and called his presidency "consequential." Graham said he is "sorry for what happened on January the 6th," and Trump will "get his fair share of blame." He advised Senate Republicans to "work together" and "realize that without President Trump we're never gonna get back in the majority," and said Trump needs to make some unspecified "changes" in order to reach his "potential." Catherine Garcia
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 chilling cartoons about increasing ICE aggressionCartoons Artists take on respect for the law, the Fourth Amendment, and more
-
Political cartoons for January 24Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include 3D chess, political distractions, and more
-
Ryanair/SpaceX: could Musk really buy the airline?Talking Point Irish budget carrier has become embroiled in unlikely feud with the world’s wealthiest man
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
-
US offers Ukraine NATO-like security pact, with caveatsSpeed Read The Trump administration has offered Ukraine security guarantees similar to those it would receive from NATO
