Graham leads Senate GOP in budget breakthrough for Trump

Last week, Donald Trump endorsed Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), an establishment member so deeply entrenched I am surprised he does not have a big “E” tattooed on his head.

There was considerable pushback from the endorsement, but Graham may have just bought Trump some good grace after possibly clearing the way for Trump’s budget to clear the Senate.

Endorsing Lindsey

As far as I am concerned, Graham is a snake in the grass that cannot be trusted. His only goal in life is to preserve his Senate seat, and he will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

This would include coddling up to Trump, a man he once stated did not represent conservatives and dropped every “ist” and “ic” word on Trump in the English language.

Now, Trump and Graham are buddies, and Trump endorsed him, posting on Truth Social, "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!"

The endorsement concluded, "Senator Lindsey Graham has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. Everyone in South Carolina should help Lindsey have a BIG WIN next year!"

Conservative backlash

When Trump endorsed Graham, there was pushback from conservatives and Republicans who support Trump and those who do not, as they fall finally found some common ground.

Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser, Lt. General Michael Flynn, stated, "Not someone I can get behind. I’ll go to the gates with you but I won’t take one step forward with him.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) who is in the midst of a feud with Trump, added, "I don’t begrudge anyone for an endorsement, but Senator Graham is objectively the ideological twin of Liz Cheney.”

Townhall’s Scott Morefield gave the biggest rebuke, however, writing, "Trump endorsing Lindsey Graham, in a state where an eggplant with an R beside their name would win, with the promise that he ‘will not let us down’ no less, while at the same time castigating real, non-RINO conservatives like Chip Roy, Bob Good & Thomas Massie, just shows that, while we should appreciate how he’s running the country, his ‘endorsements’ should be taken with a heavy grain of salt."

The Graham Amendment

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Graham went to work for Trump after that endorsement, working to try to figure a way to get everyone on the same page to pass Trump’s massive budget bill.

Graham introduced an amendment that would raise the debt ceiling, a key request of Trump since this negotiation started.

This would make it far easier for the GOP to get the budget approved by members, then ram it through the Senate via reconciliation, which will only require 51 votes, and that can include a tiebreaking vote by the vice president if need be.

What shocks me is that even with the majority, and having reconciliation as an option, the GOP is unable to get on the same page for something that should be a no-brainer for the party. But this budget, at least from what I have seen, is a mess, unpaid for, and is likely to increase the national debt, not what Trump promised during the campaign. But this is Trump’s baby, and he and the party are going to have to live with the results once they push this all through.