Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) does not believe the Republican Party can “move forward” without former President Donald Trump.
During an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity,” host Sean Hannity noted that there is an “emergence” of a new Republican Party and a new Democratic Party. Hannity added that, in his opinion, “It looks like the Democratic party wants to be the party of coastal elites.”
Graham responded, “Can we move forward without President Trump? The answer is no.”
The senator then turned to the current Republican Party rift in the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders may try to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 Republican in the chamber.
“I’ve always liked Liz Cheney, but she’s made a determination that the Republican Party can’t grow with President Trump,” Graham said. “I’ve determined we can’t grow without him.”
Watch Graham’s comments below (starting at 5:15):
Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on the charge of inciting an insurrection. She has not backed down on her position.
The Wyoming Republican previously indicated she would not support Trump if he were to run in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump tossed his support behind Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) in a potential bid to replace Cheney. The former president called Cheney a “warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership.”
“Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!” Trump added in his statement.
A vote could be held as early as May 12 to try to remove Cheney, a source told Reuters. Cheney did survive a similar push earlier this year to strip her of her Republican leadership position.