Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) took the stage Saturday at a Donald Trump rally in his home state of South Carolina to massive boos from the crowd.
Graham attempted to begin talking over the jeers, which partially drowned out his remarks in support of the former president’s bid for a second term.
Some called Graham a traitor, according to a CNN reporter at the scene.
Trump later offered a halfhearted defense of the senator.
“You know, you can make mistakes on occasion. Even Lindsey down here, Sen. Lindsey Graham. We love Sen. Graham,” Trump said, prompting a fresh round of booing.
“I know, it’s half and half,” Trump told the crowd. “But when I need some of those liberal votes, he’s always there to help me get them, OK? We’ve got some pretty liberal people, but he’s good.”
Trump: You can make mistakes on occasion. Even Lindsey down here, Senator Lindsey Graham.
Crowd: boo
Trump: I know it’s half and half. But when I need some of those liberal votes, he’s always there to help me. pic.twitter.com/yloBbhSOMo
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2023
Back in April, Trump mocked Graham as a “progressive” at a fundraiser in New Hampshire, inspiring boos from the crowd there, as well.
Graham was a staunch ally to Trump over the bulk of his presidency, but did not parrot Trump’s false assertion that the 2020 election had been fraudulent — prompting Trump to put out a statement in 2021 saying that Graham should be “ashamed” of himself. Graham also enraged Trump supporters when he spoke harshly about Trump’s role in mobilizing the angry mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Attendees at Saturday’s rally told The Greenville News, a South Carolina newspaper, that they had tired of Graham.
William Billew, 74, told the paper he thought the senator was unreliable and didn’t like his “wishy-washiness.”
Over his two decades representing South Carolina in Washington, Graham has built a reputation as a fickle ally to his fellow Republicans.
