Campaign

Trump says Lindsey Graham can help him get ‘liberal votes’ as crowd boos mention of senator

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Pickens, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Former President Trump said on Saturday that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) can help him get “liberal votes,” after a South Carolina crowd booed his mention of their own senator.

“You know, you can make mistakes on occasion. Even Lindsey down here, Senator Lindsey Graham. We love Senator Graham,” Trump said at a rally in Pickens, S.C., drawing boos from the crowd.

“I know, it’s half-and-half,” he continued. “But when I need some of those liberal votes, he’s always there to help me get them, okay. We got some pretty liberal people, but he’s good.”

Graham, who has endorsed the former president’s 2024 bid for the presidency, spoke at the rally earlier on Saturday and was similarly met with a chorus of boos and shouts of “traitor” from the crowd.

Trump has previously described Graham as a “progressive” on a several occasions.

“Lindsey Graham, the progressive from South Carolina,” the former president said at a campaign event in New Hampshire in April, adding, “No, he’s a progressive, but he’s got some good things, too, okay?”