Conservative backlash erupts after Trump’s Graham endorsement: ‘I am not with Trump at all with this one’
President Donald Trump earned a wave of backlash from the political right after endorsing Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. for re-election last week.
A torrent of replies flooded Trump’s Truth Social post as people disagreed with the president’s move, including retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who very briefly served as national security advisor during Trump’s first term.
‘Not someone I can get behind. I’ll go to the gates with you but I won’t take one step forward with him,’ Flynn wrote.
Trump declared in the Truth Social post that Graham has his ‘Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election’ and that the senator ‘WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.’
Negative sentiment about the senator and Trump’s endorsement also appeared on X.
‘Sorry… I am not with Trump at all with this one. Not one bit,’ conservative commentator and crack Trump impressionist Shawn Farash tweeted.
‘Just say NO to Lindsey Graham,’ conservative commentator Chad Prather wrote.
Townhall columnist Scott Morefield opined, ‘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.’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., hauled in hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations this month after Trump trashed him on Truth Social for opposing a government-funding measure to avert a partial government shutdown.
‘HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him,’ Trump vowed. ‘He reminds me of Liz Chaney [sic] before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!)’
In a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday, Massie likened Graham to former Rep. Liz Cheney.
‘I don’t begrudge anyone for an endorsement, but Senator Graham is objectively the ideological twin of Liz Cheney,’ Massie said in the statement.
Graham’s campaign manager Mark Knoop said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, ‘Senator Graham shares President Trump’s frustration with Rep. Massie. Rep. Massie has become the most reliable vote for Democrats on critical issues opposing President Trump’s agenda.’
Trump attacked conservative House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, last year, declaring in a Truth Social post, ‘The very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.’
While Trump wanted the debt ceiling raised, Roy indicated in a December tweet, ‘Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform. Congress needs to feel the pain of their actions and confront reality.’
Fox News Digital reached out to request a comment from the congressman, but no comment was provided by his office. The White House also declined to provide comment on the president’s endorsement of Graham.
‘There’s no bigger endorsement than President Trump’s and Senator Graham is honored to have his support. He has earned it. Senator Graham looks forward to playing golf this weekend with Trey Gowdy and President Trump. When it comes to conservative organizations endorsing Senator Graham, stay tuned,’ Knoop said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday.
Figures from pro-life groups are slated to appear at a press conference on Monday as the groups back Graham’s re-election bid, according to a campaign press release provided to Fox News Digital.
Graham, who thanked Trump for the endorsement in a post on X, has also shared another post with a video highlighting the president’s support.
‘President Trump is on team Graham,’ a voiceover declares during the video, describing Graham as ‘a conservative leader, trusted by Trump, endorsed by Trump.’
But while Trump, who previously endorsed Graham in 2020, is on the senator’s side, time will tell whether voters share the same sentiments.
While Graham decisively won his 2020 primary with more than 67% of the vote, he was met with a chorus of boos when he spoke at a Trump rally in his own state of South Carolina in 2023.
The lawmaker, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, is up for re-election in 2026.