RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Topline President Donald Trump addressed the rocky start to his relationship with former Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., acknowledging at the late senator’s funeral he “shouldn’t have” shared Graham’s personal phone number at a rally during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, sounding lightly apologetic at the memorial for the senator who later became his “great friend.”
Reacting after Graham called Trump a “jacka–” in 2015, Trump said he “did something that I shouldn’t have done — I shared his personal cell phone number with the millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day, as I made a speech, a very important speech.”
Trump joked that Graham’s phone “exploded” after the reveal—prompting Graham to destroy the device a day later on video.
Trump said the incident was actually the “beginning of a friendship,” noting “it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone all for one day, we became great friends and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years.”
Graham died suddenly on July 11 due to cardiovascular issues. Graham and Trump’s relationship dates back to the 2016 presidential election and the Republican primaries. During a rally in 2015, Trump read Graham’s personal cell phone number aloud on live television, resulting in the senator having to change his long-held number and phone. That same year, Graham called Trump a “ race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot .” After abandoning his run for president, Graham refused to back Trump in the 2016 presidential election. However, later into Trump’s first term, the two became close allies as Graham became a loyal defender of the president and played a large role confirming conservative judges to the Supreme Court. Graham distanced himself from Trump following the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, though the supposed break between them was brief. Graham supported and voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election and developed a reputation as the “Trump whisperer” for lawmakers and foreign dignitaries.
Trump Says Lindsey Graham ‘Liked War’—After Viral Clip Of Late Senator Celebrating Iran Attacks (Forbes)
Conspiracists Question Known Facts Around Graham’s Death After Ukraine Trip (Forbes)
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