Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is saying there is a “dark side” to former President Donald Trump, but also “magic there” that he is trying to “harness.”
“What I’m tryin’ to do is just harness the magic,” Graham told Axios’ Jonathan Swan in a recent interview. “To me, Donald Trump is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms, Ronald Reagan and P.T. Barnum.”
The South Carolina lawmaker added, “He could make the Republican Party something that nobody else I know can make it.”
Graham noted that while Trump could apparently make the Republican Party “bigger,” he could also “destroy it.”
“He can make it bigger. He can make it stronger. He can make it more diverse. And he also could destroy it.”
Watch Graham’s interview below:
Before Trump garnered the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the 2016 election, Graham criticized him. But, after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, Graham embraced Trump, as Axios noted.
Additionally, Graham told Axios, “Donald Trump was my friend before the riot. And I’m trying to keep a relationship with him after the riot. I still consider him a friend. What happened was a dark day in American history, and we’re going to move forward.”
“I want us to continue the policies that I think will make America strong. I believe the best way for the Republican Party to do that is with Trump, not without Trump,” Graham continued.
The Congressmember later added, “There’s something about Trump. There’s a dark side and there’s some magic there.”