With
President Trump tripling down on his racist attacks on a group of Democratic
Congresswomen of color, Sen.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) backed the president on Monday morning, calling the so-called Squad a “bunch of communists” who are “anti-Semitic” and hate the
United States.
During an appearance on Fox & Friends, Graham—who played golf with the president on Sunday after Trump told the Squad to “go back” to where “they came” from—was asked about polls that show Trump is behind in the 2020 election.
“What does he need to do to ensure a win?” Ainsley Earhardt asked.
Graham addressed Trump through the screen, saying he’s going to win as long as he can “knock it down a notch,” prompting co-host Brian Kilmeade to ask the South Carolina lawmaker “in what way.” The one-time presidential candidate then brought up the president’s tweets.
“We all know that [Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and this crowd are a bunch of communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own country, they’re calling the guards along our border—the Border Patrol agents—concentration camp guards,” Graham exclaimed. “They accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the benjamins, they are anti-Semitic, they are anti-America. Don’t get them—aim higher.”
Asked if the tweets were negative, Graham demurred while continuing to blast the group of progressive lawmakers—which includes Reps. Ocasio-Cortez,
Ilhan Omar,
Ayanna Pressley and
Rashida Tlaib—by repeatedly calling them anti-Semitic. He further called on the president to take aim at their policies rather than personally attacking them.
“They’re socialists. They’re anti-Semitic,” Graham declared. “They stand for all the things that most Americans disagree with. Make them the face of the future of the Democratic Party. You will destroy the Democratic Party.”
Co-host Steve Doocy, meanwhile, wondered if Graham was saying the president went “too far” with his attacks. Graham, however, wasn’t about to go down that road.
“I don’t think—aim higher,” he stated. “They are American citizens. They won an election. Take on their policies.”
Trump was obviously extremely pleased with Graham’s on-air performance. A short time after the senator’s interview aired, the president fired off a series of tweets quoting Graham calling the Squad anti-America, finishing it off by asking: “Need I say more?”
Republicans in Washington, meanwhile, have remained almost entirely silent on Trump urging women of color to leave the country.