With Graham's death, the Senate loses a key Trump whisperer
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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The Senate returns this week without one of its most singular and prominent members. Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died suddenly over the weekend. He was 71 years old. Today, we'll unpack his complicated and honestly sometimes contradictory political legacy. Let's get into it. It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Myles Parks. I cover voting. I'm Eric McDaniel. I cover Congress. And I'm Franco Ordonez. I cover the White House. And we're recording this podcast at 103 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, July 13th. So, Eric, Lindsey Graham spent more than 30 years representing South Carolina, including more than 20 of those years in the U.S. Senate.
How did Lindsey Graham’s sudden death reshape the Senate’s start to the week?
What do you think he'll be remembered for as a lawmaker?
I mean he's a Washington institution. The man has touched really all sorts of different things particularly during Trump's two terms in the White House. I'll start with his foreign policy legacy which is probably where he felt like he made his largest mark. He was an unabashed military interventionist. He believed in the power of the U.S. military to be a force for good, peacekeeper and protector of democracy abroad. And, you know, I'd say his legacy is as complicated and tied up in that as the U.S. military record abroad.
Yeah. Well, I want to take a second also to note that his life before Congress was really interesting, too, right? He had a pretty unique upbringing that I feel like did color the way he talked about issues and honestly, just his entire life in Congress. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Yeah, this is something we heard a lot when he was running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. He grew up in a town called Central South Carolina, not Central South Carolina, but the town of Central. And he grew up in a one room apartment adjoining his parents' liquor store, bar and pool house where people would play billiards. with his parents and sister. When he was in his early 20s, his parents died in quick succession, and he became the primary caretaker for his younger sister, Darlene, when she was 13 years old. He eventually went on to adopt her. After he graduated law school at the University of South Carolina, he joined the Air Force, where he was an Air Force attorney. He spent six years in active duty, including some of that abroad in Germany.
And then he joined the South Carolina Air National Guard. And then during his time in Congress, the Air Force Reserve. So he spent more than 30 years in uniform, all told.
Yeah, I know at some point he said that raising his sister and kind of what she had become was one of the most meaningful things in his life. I want to talk a little bit, Franco, about Lindsey Graham's relationship with Trump, because like every Republican over the last 10 years, a lot of his career has been defined by that relationship. He ran against Trump in the presidential primary in 2016 and then became something of a sort of Trump whisperer with Congress. Can you explain this evolution?
Yeah, evolution, transformation, definitely, you know, the legacy is absolutely tied to Trump. I mean, Graham started off as a critic. They really went after each other during the 2016 campaign. Graham ran for office as well. I even remember when Trump announced Graham's telephone number during a stumped speech, and then Graham, you know, actually turned it into a campaign ad. It was a Very vicious campaign. And the Graham-Trump, you know, back and forth was something to be watched as well. But when Trump was elected, Graham quickly kind of jumped on board. And when he was asked about that transformation, Graham told reporters that, you know, he was trying to remain relevant. And that being inside the White House orbit gave him more leverage.
You know, you got to be in the room. I'd say that relationship was really, really tested, though, after the first administration or at the end of the first administration, after the riots of January 6th, and Graham gave that infamous speech from the floor of the Senate.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:01
2
How did Lindsey Graham’s sudden death reshape the Senate’s start to the week?
1:01–4:36
3
What aspects of Lindsey Graham’s early life influenced his politics and career?
4:36–16:04
4
How did Lindsey Graham’s relationship with Donald Trump evolve over time?
16:04–21:30