Trump Slammed For 'Hijacking' Lindsey Graham's Death Tribute On CNN To Push His Voter Restriction Bill

President Donald Trump was criticized after he hijacked a tribute to the late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to talk about the SAVE America Act, claiming Graham had spoken to him about it just hours before his death at 71.

Trump has pushed to eliminate no-excuse mail voting as a central goal of the "SAVE America Act," a sweeping federal elections bill that, among other things, complicates voting for individuals whose legal name does not match their birth certificate and poses a restrictive photo ID requirement for voting that disproportionately impacts minorities.

Speaking with host Jake Tapper, Trump said he and Graham "essentially agreed on almost everything." Trump added that Graham had become especially committed to advancing the SAVE America Act.

He claimed:

“[Graham] was really—and I think he was going to be there very, very strongly under the filibuster. He was against terminating the filibuster, and I think he was doing that because he said ‘we have a budget coming up, and we have debt ceiling coming up.’” ...

“That’s what he called me about last time. I mean, to think of it, I just spoke to him just—he had already landed. He was probably at his place, I don’t know where he was. But I spoke to him and then I got a call a few hours later saying—late in the evening at two o’ clock in the morning, actually. But they found out about it, I think about eight o’clock about his problem.”

“So it had to be something very quick because he was fine when I spoke [to him]—other than being tired, he was fine."

Tapper replied:

“I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime because I do have a lot of other questions for you, sir."

Trump said:

“Sure, we’ll do that. We’ll do that. We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path.”

When Tapper said, "Well, I'm on a normal path right here, sir. I appreciate your time, and thank you for calling in," Trump merely responded, "Good, you are," before the interview concluded.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

In a separate interview with Meet the Press, Trump told moderator Kristen Welker that Graham phoned him shortly after returning to Washington from a trip to Ukraine and quickly shifted the conversation to the SAVE America Act:

"He called, and he said, 'We're all set for the SAVE America Act.' He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy. He got back, said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, 'That's a long trip to make.' He said he sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired."

"He had a right to be. He was a worker, he was really a worker. He said he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act... I can't believe it. He was like a member of the family to me. This is a big blow to the SAVE America Act, let me tell you."

You can hear what Trump said in the video below.

Many viewers thought Trump's words were in poor taste.

Graham, who chaired the Senate Budget Committee, publicly co-sponsored the SAVE America Act in February.

According to a preliminary finding from the medical examiner, shared by his office, he died after suffering an aortic dissection—a tear in the inner wall of the aorta—linked to hardening of the arteries. His official cause of death will be determined after toxicology and microscopic testing are completed.