President makes final push for Darline Graham in trip to 'Trump country'
The Hill · C · trust 48/100
Comments: by Julia Manchester - 08/21/26 9:02 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Julia Manchester - 08/21/26 9:02 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Myrtle Beach, S.C. — President Trump travelled south to rally support for Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) on Friday ahead of next week’s primary runoff and urged Republicans to turn out in November’s midterm elections.
“I think Lindsey respected Darline more than any other person he knows including me, and that does not make me happy,” Trump quipped, referring to Graham’s late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died last month.
Graham joined Trump on stage at one point during rally, declaring “this is Trump country.”
The president hit South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews without naming her, labeling her as “far left.
He did name Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who are both locked in close races with Trump-backed GOP candidates.
The president also sought to use the rally to push Republican turnout in November.
“We have to make the midterm elections too big to rig,” he said, alluding to his frequent and unfounded claims of election fraud.
The president acknowledged issues Republicans face in turning out their base when he is not at the top of the ballot.
“What I want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” he said.
Trump also warned supporters that Democrats will move to impeach him if Republicans lose their majorities in Congress.
“I’m going to be impeached. They’re going to impeach me. They have no idea why,” he said.
The president addressed non-campaign related issues as well.
He took the opportunity to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday that allowed construction on the White House ballroom to continue, at least until the appeal receives a full review.
“I’m in a very good mood tonight,” Trump said, referring to news of the ruling.
Trump also declared that he views the Strait of Hormuz as a U.S. territory after saying last week he wanted to annex the waterway. Trump has shifted from military strikes to threats of economic isolation in his push to force concessions from Tehran.
The primary runoff marks a major test for Trump’s endorsement as Graham, a political newcomer temporarily appointed to her brother’s seat, runs to keep it for another six years. She is facing off against Rep. Ralph Norman, a real estate developer elected to the House in 2017.
Graham made headlines earlier this week at a televised debate with Norman when she flubbed a question on Taiwan and the South China Sea, saying national security was not her thing.
The answer was a sea change between her and her late brother, who was known as a foreign policy giant in the Senate. It was also met with immediate criticism from Norman and his allies.
Trump defended Graham’s response to the question ahead of his trip to South Carolina on Friday.
“She’s very smart, and she was being honest. She’s into the price of groceries. ... She is going to do what the military wants, and really what the president wants,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One.
“She understands that national security is my thing. ... I thought it was a very honest answer,” he continued.
Graham enters the primary with an advantage from Trump’s endorsement and her status as Lindsey Graham’s sister. Trump won the state by nearly 18 points in 2024, by 11 points in 2020, and by 14 points in 2016.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will run against Andrews.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the state’s Senate race as solid Republican, but nationally Republicans are facing headwinds amid Trump’s declining approval ratings and rising Democratic enthusiasm.
Trump’s approval rating in South Carolina sits at 42 percent, according to a Civiqs tracking poll .
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