In interviews and social media posts, President Donald Trump has offered a series of tributes to the late Senator Lindsey Graham that mix praise with criticism, a departure from the usual posthumous accolades.
During a Fox News interview on Monday, Trump recalled Graham as someone who called him too often, a poor golfer, and a person who “loved being outside.”
>>> Wally Funk, Trailblazing Female Aviator and Oldest Woman in Space, Dies at 87
He said, “He was a great guy, and he was a friend. He would call me all the time.
I’d say: ‘Stop calling me, Lindsey.’”
On Truth Social, Trump’s tone was more enthusiastic, using exclamation marks to declare Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
He added, “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
The mixed messages underscore the complicated relationship between Trump and Graham. In 2016, Graham called Trump a “jackass” and a “race-baiting bigot.”
After Trump’s election, Graham became a staunch ally, but briefly broke with him following the January 6 insurrection.
“Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey – I hate it to end this way,” Graham said at the time.
>>> Elon Musk Faces Bribery Complaints in Wisconsin Election
“All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”
He soon reversed course and returned to Trump’s side, even praising him as “not far behind God” last month.
Trump acknowledged Graham’s disloyalty in the Fox News interview, saying, “He had one bad moment, that was the Jan 6 thing… Then he called me about 40 minutes later and said: ‘Did I really say that?
I can’t believe it,’ and he took it back. So I give him a 99 instead of a 100.”
Despite appreciating Graham’s subservience, Trump could not resist including criticism.
He remarked on Graham’s golf game, saying, “It wasn’t that he was a great striker of the ball… he wasn’t Jack Nicklaus, he was not Tiger.”
>>> Alfa Romeo Confirms Future Evolutions of Giulia and Stelvio Are Still Under Study
Trump’s eulogies reveal a pattern of asserting dominance, even over the deceased, highlighting his fragility and need to be number one.
