‘He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot’: Lindsey Graham speaks out against Trump—in 2015

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday January 28, 2020 · 3:34 PM MST

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In the olden days of December 2015, Sen. Lindsey Graham had some seriously strong opinions about Donald Trump. Appearing on CNN at the time, Graham remarked that he was “disgusted” by then President-elect Trump’s remarks that he wanted to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Just in case you don’t remember the old Sen. Lindsey Graham, here are his exact words:

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I want to talk to the Trump supporters for a minute. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you like about this. I think what you like is he appears to be strong, when the rest of us are weak. He’s a very successful businessman and he’s going to make everything great. He’s going to take all the problems of the world and put them in a box and make your life better. That’s what he’s selling.

Here’s what you’re buying: He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women that wear the uniform are fighting for. I‘ve been in the Air Force for 33 years—I retired this June. He’s the ISIL man of the year, by the way. I just got back from Morocco a week ago this Monday—

It is here that Sen. Graham talked about military personnel he met with who were concerned by Trump’s Islamophobic rhetoric.

SEN. GRAHAM: I don’t think he has a clue about anything. He’s just trying to get his numbers up and get the biggest reaction he can. He’s putting our soldiers and diplomats at risk. He’s empowering the enemy. And this ban, if actually enacted, would take people who have been interpreters, who came to our side in Iraq and Afghanistan—who are under siege in their own countries—and basically becomes a death sentence for them.

December 2015 Sen. Graham finished by saying that if viewers wanted to “Make America Great again, tell Donald Trump to go to hell!”

2015 Sen. Graham was right … to a degree. Donald Trump, it turns out, does represent the Republican Party. Donald Trump is stronger than the rest of you. Also, Donald Trump wasn’t a very successful businessman. He was a bankrupt and corrupt businessman. But: potatoes, tomatoes.