Trump Endorses Lindsey Graham’s 2026 Reelection Bid

Then-Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as he arrives onstage to speak at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington on June 24, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has endorsed four-term Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for reelection.

Trump on Wednesday announced that Graham has his “total and complete endorsement” as he seeks a fifth term in the U.S Senate.

The president, in his endorsement, told South Carolinians that Graham will not let them down.

“Senator Lindsey Graham is working incredibly hard for the Great People of South Carolina, a State I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Lindsey has been a wonderful friend to me, and has always been there when I needed him. As the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Lindsey is fighting tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Lower Taxes, and Eliminate Government Waste. Lindsey is also relentlessly focused on helping us Secure the Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strongly Support our Great Military/Vets, Promote American Energy DOMINANCE, Defend our always under siege Second Amendment, and ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”

Graham has served as a Republican senator for South Carolina since 2003. Working in the Senate for more than two decades, he is considered a key player in the Republican Party. He currently serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Budget Committee.

Graham said that he is humbled by the president’s faith in him to run for a fifth term.

“I look forward to being one of the driving forces in the U.S. Senate to enact President Trump’s agenda to make America more prosperous and more secure,” Graham wrote in a statement on X.

Graham’s perspective of Trump has evolved over time. When Trump first emerged as a presidential candidate before his first term, Graham claimed that Trump didn’t represent the values of the Republican Party and criticized him during a CNN television interview.

The senator, however, now considers Trump a friend and one of his most loyal supporters. The pair became close allies after Trump won the presidency for the first time.

“On a professional level, I am proud to have been there at the beginning when President Trump—through sheer force of will—achieved the greatest political comeback in American history,” Graham said in his X post. “On a personal level, I genuinely enjoy our friendship. He’s an awesome golfing buddy, who I have yet to beat.”

Graham recently defended Trump following a contentious conversation in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. While Graham has urged the United States to continue its support for Ukraine, he called for Zelenskyy to step down amid the high-profile clash.

South Carolina has long been considered a Republican stronghold. Graham faces Republican candidate Kyle Freeman in the race for the Senate seat, as well as Democrats Catherine Fleming Bruce and Kyle Freeman, according to election tracker Ballotpedia.

The president has also publicly endorsed other Republican lawmakers this week on X as they seek reelection.

Trump threw his support behind Rep. John McGuire for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. Trump also endorsed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi as she seeks reelection. Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee also received a public endorsement from the president.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be up for grabs in the 2026 midterm elections, while 33 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will also be contested.

From NTD News