Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham says he has accepted the results of the election 

Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham says he has accepted the results of the election

  • Lindsey Graham was a top Trump ally in the Senate
  • He had traded insults with Trump during the primaries 
  • He voted to certify votes for Joe Biden on Jan. 6th 
  • He gave a dramatic speech after the riot saying ‘count me out’
  • He then returned to the Trump fold and golfed with the former president
  • Graham told South Carolina reporters the election is ‘over’ 
  • Trump tweeted Sunday there was ‘no way’ Biden won the 2020 election


Top Trump loyalist Sen. Lindsey Graham declared the 2020 election ‘over’ even as the former president is reasserting his claims of fraud and raising charges of a deleted database in Arizona that election official are batting down. 

‘I accept the results of the election,’ said Graham, a regular golf companion of Trump’s and a Trump defender amid the Russia probe and two impeachments. 

Graham bookended his statement with remarks pointing to the next off-year election: ‘2020 is over to me, I’m ready to march on and hopefully take back the House and the Senate in 2022,’ Graham said Monday, the Hill reported. 

‘I accept the results of the election,’ said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a leading Trump loyalist

His statement come as Trump doubles down on his claims of election fraud, saying the election was ‘stolen’ and focusing on an audit ordered by the Republican-controlled state Senate. A private firm, Cyber Ninjas, is conducting the audit. 

Like a bevy of elected Republicans, Graham, suggested that something might have gone wrong in the elections, without getting behind a specific fraud claim. GOP-controlled states around the country have moved legislation to restrict drop-boxes, add new levels of verification, and make other election restrictions in the wake of Trump’s claims of fraud.

Graham himself voted to certify electoral votes from states during the electoral count on Jan. 6th. After the riot, he appeared to demand an end to the claims, saying in an impassioned speech, where he said ‘All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough. I’ve tried to be helpful.’ He said he and Trump have had ‘a hell of a journey,’ and ‘I hate it to end this way.’

But he was soon back to traveling with Trump. He visited Trump in February at Mar-a-Lago to discuss plans for Republicans in the 2022 election cycle.  

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, walks with President Donald Trump as they board Air Force One upon arrival at Valley International Airport, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Harlingen, Texas, after visiting a section of the border wall with Mexico in Alamo, Texas. The trip came six days after the Capitol riot

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, walks with President Donald Trump as they board Air Force One upon arrival at Valley International Airport, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Harlingen, Texas, after visiting a section of the border wall with Mexico in Alamo, Texas. The trip came six days after the Capitol riot

Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, Thursday, May 6, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The audit, ordered by the Arizona Senate, has the U.S. Department of Justice saying it is concerned about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results

Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, Thursday, May 6, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The audit, ordered by the Arizona Senate, has the U.S. Department of Justice saying it is concerned about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results

Graham gave a dramatic speech after the Capitol riot, saying 'count me out'

Graham gave a dramatic speech after the Capitol riot, saying ‘count me out’

Nevertheless, he became one of several top Republicans to travel to Mar-a-Lago to visit with Trump as he continued to issue claims the election was stolen. 

‘I think what we need to do is reform election systems. … So I think it’s smart to reform our laws to make sure you are who you are,’ said Graham.

He said: ‘I think there are a lot of people that feel like bad things happened in the election.’ But he said Trump and the GOP ‘needs to focus on election reform and the upcoming election.’

His comment comes as Democrats have as many as five pickup opportunities in the Senate, with Florida Rep. Val Demings saying she will challenge Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Some GOP strategists have raised concerns that Trump’s repeated claims of fraud could cost Republicans among suburban Republicans and those who accept the results.

Biden beat Trump by roughly 7 million votes in the popular vote. 

Trump wrote Sunday from his ‘Save America’ PAC that there is ‘no way’ Joe Biden won the election, citing a poll that reflected widespread agreement with his repeated claims of fraud within the GOP.

‘The poll also showed that 67% of Republicans said that they do not consider Sleepy Joe Biden to be the legitimate winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. I agree with them 100%, just look at the facts and the data—there is no way he won the 2020 Presidential Election!’