Former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) on Monday said a trip to Saudi Arabia showed him how Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) would do whatever it takes to preserve his political future, including going all in supporting Donald Trump despite his initial criticism of then then-reality TV personality before the 2016 election.
“I was with Lindsey in Saudi Arabia, and in a meeting with the King, Lindsey Graham says to the King of Saudi Arabia, ‘Don’t worry about Donald Trump. Presidents come and go, but senators stay forever,’” Jolly, who quit the GOP in 2018, told MSNBC’s “The Beat.”
“That little vignette told me a lot about Lindsey Graham,” the former lawmaker continued. “Someone who likely plans to expire in the U.S. Senate rather than retire from it. And so, he has compromised and sacrificed his own dignity and his own political consistency to try to follow the path to power, to stay in the U.S. Senate.”
Graham, who Trump supporters booed and called a “traitor” during the ex-POTUS’ 2024 campaign rally in South Carolina at the weekend, is “emblematic” of the GOP, said Jolly.
Trump has an “iron grip” on the party, he added. “It is post-ideological. It is grievance. Call it populism if you want. The party has decided to look past all of the faults of Donald Trump. He’s their guy.”