Lindsey Graham speaks about Trump, COVID-19, defund the police during Myrtle Beach visit
Sen. Lindsey Graham was in Myrtle Beach on Friday morning to speak to a local police group, but he also addressed the President’s recent COVID-19 test.
“I talked to President [Donald] Trump this morning, he said ‘hello,’” Graham said, according to audio recorded by SCETV. “The first thing I asked about was the First Lady. She’s doing good. The President was in good spirits.”
Early Friday morning, President Trump announced he and the First Lady tested positive for coronavirus and would be entering quarantine.
Graham (R-SC) was in Myrtle Beach hours after the announcement to speak at the South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police annual gathering. The Senator in the midst of a hotly contested reelection campaign against Democrat Jaime Harrison.
At one point, the Senator cracked a joke about the campaign and said if he sees another Harrison commercial, he might not vote for himself.
There are people in the Democratic party who want to fundamentally change the country, Graham said. He added Republicans have their faults, and that Trump can be a “handful,” but the President has been correct on topics that matter to Graham.
The Senator addressed the calls to defund the police and stressed his continued support for law enforcement.
“How many people believe it would be better to have more people of color in the police business? I do,” Graham said, according to the recording. “I want to have more transparency in policing, and when a bad cop does something, I want them accountable. Just don’t lump everybody in.”
Graham said the hardest job in America is being a Black cop. But, he stressed that he supports the police and will continue to do so in the future.
He also had a message for liberals—as he put it—talking about South Carolina.
“We’re gonna kick your a--,” Graham said, according to the audio. “We’re gonna let be known from Myrtle Beach to Mountain Rest, that this is a state that appreciates law and order, that wants to do better, that doesn’t mind reforming the police. But, we’re not going to turn on the cops and we’re not gonna defund you.”
Graham serves as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and said when he spoke to Trump on Friday, the President immediately asked about the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
“We’re on track, we’re gonna start Oct. 12 and we’re gonna work hard to get this wonderful, conservative, young lady—talented beyond belief—Amy Barrett on the Supreme Court,” Graham said.
