RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. President Donald Trump defended Republican South Carolina Senator Darline Graham after she faced backlash over her response to a question about Taiwan and national security during a Republican Senate debate this week. Ahead of a campaign event for Graham in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Trump called her response “very honest” and said she was “very smart.”
Graham, who was appointed to the Senate seat following the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham, drew criticism during Tuesday’s debate when she acknowledged that she was “not that informed" on national security. The exchange came as she was asked about the U.S. national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Her comments prompted criticism from her Republican opponent, Representative Ralph Norman, as well as other conservatives.
Newsweek reached out to Graham's campaign via email on Friday night for comment.
Trump sought to shift the focus from Graham’s lack of foreign-policy experience, saying she is focused on issues such as grocery prices and would follow the guidance of the military and the president on national security.
He also emphasized that national security is his "thing."
"She's into the price of groceries, the price of food, the price of beef," Trump said. "It hasn't been her thing but she's surrounded by very good people," Trump added.
Graham’s response was delivered during a debate that also drew attention to another misstatement. She said South Carolina had “50 million people,” even though its population is roughly 5.6 million. The errors added to speculation online about whether she is prepared to serve a full six-year Senate term, particularly given her limited political experience.
The rally comes just days before South Carolina Republicans vote in the August 25 runoff between Graham and Norman.
Graham finished first in the initial Republican primary with roughly 33 percent of the vote, while Norman received about 25 percent, setting up a contest in which Trump is making his support for Graham a central part of her campaign.
Speaking at the rally on Friday evening, Graham said, "Critics say I shouldn't run for the Senate, they say I'm not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged. And by the way, President Trump had never served in an elected office before, and I think he's done a d*** good job."
The White House, meanwhile, promoted Trump’s record in South Carolina ahead of the visit, highlighting tax cuts, border security, crime and energy policies as examples of what it describes as the administration’s “America First” agenda.
During his remarks on Friday night, Trump asked Graham to come up on stage.
She thanked the president for his eulogy of her brother, saying he was one of Lindsey's closest friends and that he "will forever be part of the Graham family for that."
Trump struck a similar tone during Friday's rally as previous stops—touting the border, prescription drug prices and thanked the Supreme Court for a ruling earlier in the day temporarily green-lighting construction for the White House ballroom. He also took swipes at Democrats, using familiar jabs like "Radical Left Lunatics."
The president was also heckled during his speech—in a state where he won by nearly 18 points in 2024—at which point he abruptly stopped speaking. The crowd erupted into chants of "USA! USA!" Trump later said, "that's all right, that person's going home to mom, going to get scolded, because mom is voting for us."
On prediction odds site Kalshi at 8:39 p.m. Friday, Graham had about a 73 percent chance of winning compared to Norman's roughly 26 percent.
On Polymarket, odds were similar, with Graham holding about 75 percent compared to Norman's 26 percent.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas
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