Graham breaks with Cheney: ‘GOP can’t grow without Trump’
Thomas McDonald
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Lindsey Graham said the Republican Party can not move forward without Donald Trump, amid Liz Cheney’s latest disparaging comments about the former president.
“Can I just say to my Republican colleagues—can we move forward without President Trump? The answer is no,” Graham said in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“I’ve always liked Liz Cheney, but she’s made a determination that the Republican Party can’t grow with President Trump,” Graham continued. “I’ve determined we can’t grow without him.”
He claimed the ‘economic populism’ of Donald Trump attracted new voters to the GOP since the 2016 election. Graham spoke of Trump’s “America First agenda,” drawing voters from all political backgrounds to the “Trump Republican Party.”
Graham’s comments come as Ohio Representative Jim Jordan said Wednesday that “the votes are there to oust Liz Cheney” from GOP leadership. The push to oust Cheney began after she joined nine other Republicans in voting for impeaching former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Cheney penned an op-ed in the Washington Post stating the “Republican Party is at a turning point,” doubling down on her criticisms of Donald Trump and taking swipes at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for appearing to change his view of Trump’s culpability in the Capitol riot.
“On the floor of the House on Jan. 13, McCarthy said: ‘The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.’ Now, McCarthy has changed his story,” she wrote.
Pressure is building on McCarthy to remove Cheney from her role as Party Chair, the third-highest position in Republican Party House Leadership. McCarthy was caught on a hot mic saying “I’ve had it with her…someone just has to bring a motion,” on Tuesday.
Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-ranking Republican in the House, endorsed New York Representative Elise Stefanik, who has garnered widespread support to succeed Cheney.