Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told “Fox News Sunday” that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is “wrong” about former President Donald Trump’s future role in the Republican Party.
“He went down a path he shouldn’t have and we shouldn’t have followed him and we shouldn’t have listened to him and we can’t let that ever happen again,” Haley told Politico in an interview published Friday.
After reading the quote, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace asked Graham if Haley is “wrong about Donald Trump’s future in the Republican Party.”
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“Yeah, Donald Trump is the most vibrant member of the Republican Party,” Graham responded. “The Trump movement is alive and well. People believe that he brought change to Washington policy-wise that was long overdue. All I can say is that the most potent force in the Republican Party is President Trump. We need Trump plus.”
Graham, who has criticized Trump for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, called Trump “a handful” and the events that day “terrible for the country.” He also said Trump is “not singularly to blame.” (RELATED: Lindsey Graham: ‘If You’re Wanting To Erase Donald Trump From The [Republican] Party, You’re Going To Get Erased’)
“Democrats have sat on the sidelines and watched the country be burned down for a year and a half and not said a damn word and most Republicans are tired of the hypocrisy, so no, Nikki’s wrong about President Trump,” he added.
The Senate on Saturday voted 57-43 in favor of convicting the former president on the single charge of inciting an insurrection, well short of the 67 needed.