After former Vice President Mike Pence announced his withdrawal from the 2024 GOP presidential primary, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — who has endorsed former president and current frontrunner Donald Trump for the GOP ticket — reacted.
There has never been a finer person in American politics than former Vice President Mike Pence.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 28, 2023
He represents the best of conservatism and humanity. His voice will be important for years to come in the Republican party and advancing conservative principles and a strong America.…
Graham wrote: “There has never been a finer person in American politics than former Vice President Mike Pence. He represents the best of conservatism and humanity. His voice will be important for years to come in the Republican party and advancing conservative principles and a strong America. God bless Mike and Karen Pence.”
Despite Graham’s praise, the ongoing importance of Pence’s voice in the party is in doubt given the paucity of his current appeal and its reliance on his fraught relationship with Trump.
In April, Graham explained why he endorsed Trump over Pence and two fellow South Carolina natives (former Governor Nikki Haley and Junior Senator Tim Scott). He told Dana Bash on CNN: “It’s not anything about Nikki or Tim that I find fault in. It’s about the ability of President Trump to get things done that should be done.”
Graham said of Trump: “I think he was a good president on the things that mattered the most,” and mentioned, “We destroyed the Caliphate.”
For Graham, an old school Republican who supports American-backed Ukraine defense and global stability and world order guided by American influence, the “things that mattered the most” include U.S. operations like its efforts in the Middle East to combat terrorism (“destroying the Caliphate”) and foment ever-elusive peace.
We defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate and no longer have any troops in the area under attack by Turkey, in Syria. We did our job perfectly! Now Turkey is attacking the Kurds, who have been fighting each other for 200 years….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2019
Note: Graham’s approbation for Trump references Trump’s February 2018 claim that “100 percent” of the ISIS caliphate — the self-proclaimed Islamic state in Syria — had been defeated. In October, a day after announcing the death of Islamic State leader Abu al-Baghdadi, Trump said the percentage was closer to 70 percent.
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