Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., praised President Trump on Saturday as a leader who is “open-minded” and willing to reach out for help, even late at night.
“What have I learned about our president? He’s curious, he asks questions, and he knows no fear,” Graham said, according to a video recording of his remarks at the South Carolina Republican convention. “And he’s under siege unlike any president I’ve ever seen in my entire life … They don’t believe he won; I do. Now Obama was somewhat hard for us, but I thought we were somewhat respectful.”
He blasted former President Barack Obama as a “community organizer who apologized for America every turn all over the world.”
“Let me tell you that you have a commander in chief that’s not going to let this country get walked over anymore,” he said.
Graham also joked about the president’s sleeping habits.
“He calls and I’m honored that he would call me and I want to help him,” he said. “He calls me when I’m asleep and he calls me after I go to bed. I wish he would rest more. I gave him my phone number. So far so good.”
The comment suggests quite the turnaround from the GOP presidential primary campaign, when Graham ran against Trump. After Graham called Trump a “jackass,” the businessman read aloud Graham’s personal cell phone number. Graham then put out a video of him demonstrating various ways to destroy his cell phone.
On Saturday, Graham also shared a story about Trump listening to military leaders. When he was asked to approve a military operation, Trump asked who made the request. When he was told it was a major who had graduated at the top of his class at West Point, Trump responded, “Why do you think I know more about this than he does?”
He also called the swearing-in of Trump’s nominee, Neil Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court a “home run” and suggested that another might be coming soon.
“There is another opening coming, just hang tight,” Graham said.
He continued: “We’re gonna cut your taxes … on healthcare I don’t know what the health we’re gonna do.”
