Trump Urges South Carolina Voters to Back Darline Graham Despite National Security Flub
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 21
Trump Urges South Carolina Voters to Back Darline Graham Despite National Security Flub
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 21
Summary
At a Myrtle Beach rally, Trump told Republicans to vote as if “I’m on the ballot,” stepping in to boost Darline Graham after her shaky debate performance.
Graham’s troubles deepened when she said she was “not that informed on national security” and that “national security is not my thing” in response to a U.S.-Taiwan question.
Trump dismissed the concern, saying Graham was simply honest and arguing her loyalty to his agenda mattered more because she would follow military advice and “what the president wants.”
The episode sharpened divisions in the Aug. 25 GOP Senate runoff: Nikki Haley and Mark Sanford backed rival Ralph Norman, even though Graham had led him by 8 percentage points into the runoff.
Graham tried to turn her inexperience into an asset, telling supporters Trump also entered office without elected experience as his endorsement tests his sway in South Carolina.