From staunch critic to fierce ally: Graham's long, strange and consequential friendship with Trump

By — Will Weissert, Associated Press Will Weissert, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/from-staunch-critic-to-fierce-ally-grahams-long-strange-and-consequential-friendship-with-trump Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter From staunch critic to fierce ally: Graham's long, strange and consequential friendship with Trump Politics Jul 12, 2026 3:45 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — After the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had finally had enough of the man who was championed by the mob that stormed the pillar of American democracy: President Donald Trump. "Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he's been a consequential president," an emotional Graham said once authorities cleared the rioters and allowed senators to reclaim their chamber. "All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough." It wasn't, of course. Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died unexpectedly on Saturday night at age 71, realized that his party's future was inextricably tied to Trump and quickly reverted back to being a staunch defender. The shift made what had once seemed like a final rupture into just another twist in the topsy-turvy relationship between the powerful senator and the president who came to dominate their party. READ MORE: Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after a 'brief and sudden illness,' his office says "Can we move forward without President Trump? The answer is no," Graham said in May 2021, just four months after the Jan. 6 attack. "I've determined we can't grow without him." Trump, who called Graham a "true American Patriot" in a social media post Sunday, appeared shocked by the lawmaker's sudden passing. "I just can't believe it," the president told NBC's "Meet the Press." "He was like a member of the family." Graham often advised Trump on foreign affairs, particularly on matters pertaining to Israel, Ukraine and Iran. He was a frequent visitor at the White House. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "At the end of a particularly thrilling and rollicking meeting in the Oval Office, Lindsey Graham turned to the room and said: 'I've never had this much fun in my life,'" deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X. He said such gatherings "were filled with camaraderie, kinship and uproarious laughter." Trump recalled that during his last conversation with Graham, he told his friend, "We'll see you soon, come over anytime you want." Graham once said Trump's candidacy was like 'being shot in the head' The senator and Trump first clashed while competing for the 2016 presidential nomination. Graham described Trump as "unfit for office," and was angered when Trump denigrated the military service of Graham's close friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Trump suggested, "I like people that