President Donald Trump whined that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham respected his sister, Darline Graham, more than him — and he made the random comment while campaigning in South Carolina for her on Wednesday.
As Trump continues to tour the U.S. to host rallies in support of Republican candidates ahead of November’s midterms, he stopped in Clemson to stump for Darline Graham.
On Trump’s recommendation, Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to finish her brother Lindsey Graham’s term after he unexpectedly died in July from an aortic tear due to cardiovascular disease. Graham is now running for a full term against Democrat Annie Andrews in the midterms.
During Wednesday’s speech, Trump called Lindsey Graham, who was a fierce ally to the president, a “great guy” and “seriously good politician.”
“So Lindsey had a lot of sense for people. I think he respected Darline, he told me, so much. He respected Darline more than any person alive. That includes me — and I wasn't happy about it,” Trump moaned.
Lindsey Graham, who was nine years older than Darline Graham, had a close bond with his sister. The late senator raised Darline Graham after their parents' deaths, telling C-SPAN in 2015, “Of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it.”
Trump was interrupted by protesters repeatedly Wednesday night, making it difficult for him to get through his speech. Just in the few minutes he talked about Lindsey Graham’s admiration for his sister, Trump was interrupted at least twice.
“I don't mind when they do that, but it's always right at my punchline,” he said of the protesters, calling them “serious losers.”
Later on in the night, Trump sounded astounded as he reacted to a protester being hit by another audience member.
“Is everybody ok? Who’s the guy that threw that punch? Trump asked. He then warned: “They don’t realize it’s really dangerous to do that.”
Trump has been faced with numerous protesters at rallies in Texas, Ohio, Alaska and Kansas this month.
He usually insults them with “your mom” and fat jokes, but he took it to the next level Tuesday night when he compared his hecklers to rioters in Paris.
“They get paid by the radical left lunatics that you watch taking place in France,” Trump said, referring to the violence that has erupted during nationwide protests in the European nation over the rising cost of living and poor conditions in schools.
“I would say this is a slightly lesser event,” he then admitted.
Trump has also made it a habit of complimenting both women’s and men’s looks at his rallies.
In Ohio last week, Trump oddly gushed over Republican Senator Jon Husted’s butt, and in Kansas Tuesday night, he called his daughter-in-law Lara Trump an “extremely fit young woman.”
During Wednesday’s speech, Trump said Darline Graham had a “very handsome husband” in Larry Nordone.
Darline Graham, who Trump called “smart and incredible” at his rally, is slightly leading her opponent Andrews in recent polls, including a Trafalgar Group survey, in which Graham has 48.6 percent of voter support compared to Andrews’ 45.6 percent.
She is appearing to fare better than other Republican candidates that Trump has been campaigning for as the GOP fights to keep control of Congress.
Democrat James Talarico is leading Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by a few points in their Senate race, according to recent polls. Husted is also several points behind Sherrod Brown, a former Democratic senator from Ohio, in recent polling.
