South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was criticized after he called President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress Tuesday night "inspiring" and cheered on Trump running for a third term in a post on X.
During his extensive ad lie-filled remarks last night in front of both chambers of Congress, Trump showcased the executive orders he has signed and outlined his vision for how Congress should advance his legislative agenda. Trump also praised billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for the damaging cuts to the federal government even though many have been blocked by the courts. Laughter roared through the chamber after he complained about "unelected bureaucrats" running the government, apparently not realizing that that's precisely what Elon Musk is.
The speech drew extended applause from Republicans and loud criticism from Democrats, one of whom, Rep. Al Green (D-TX), was removed from the chamber after interrupting the address. Throughout the speech, several Democrats walked out in protest, while others remained and held up silent demonstrations with handheld signs.
For all this, Graham apparently thinks Trump deserves a third term, writing on X:
My take on [President Donald Trump's] address tonight: Inspiring, funny, compelling and the Democrats’ worst nightmare. Trump 2028!"
You can see his post below.
He was swiftly called out, with many noting that he is calling for a clear violation of the Constitution, which imposes an explicit 2-term limit for presidents.
Graham once infamously stated that “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…. and we will deserve it,” an observation amid the turbulence of the 2016 presidential election that has only come back to bite Graham because he was, if you can believe it, among multiple Republicans who condemned Trump’s ascent at the time.
The two-faced politician later made headlines for attempting to raise money for Trump's 2024 campaign just hours after Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury after being linked to a hush-money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels on Trump's behalf just before the 2016 election.
At the time of his remarks, Graham called the indictment "legal voodoo" and "political persecution." He claimed Democrats are "trying to destroy Donald Trump because they fear him at the ballot box." He also said that if conservatives "believe Donald Trump is being treated poorly and wrongly, stand up and help him and pray for our country, pray for him."
However, the New York Times reported in 2022 that Graham said then-President Joe Biden was the “best person to have” leading the country after a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on the false premise that the 2020 general election was stolen.
