Lincoln Square: Lindsey Graham Knew Trump Was Evil--Then Surrendered to Him

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Jul 13, 2026 #politics #lincolnsquare #democracy

Stuart Stevens examines Lindsey Graham’s transformation from one of Donald Trump’s fiercest Republican critics into one of his most loyal defenders.

In 2016, Graham warned that Trump was a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot,” called him unfit for office, and predicted that he would destroy conservatism. But when the moment came to stand by those convictions, Graham chose power, proximity, and political survival instead.

Stuart argues that this decision became Graham’s defining legacy. He could have been remembered as one of the few Republicans who held the line against Trump. Instead, history will remember that he knew exactly who Trump was—and supported him anyway.

The result is a brutal assessment of cowardice, character, and the moral test that reshaped the Republican Party.