Sen. Lindsey Graham implored former President Donald Trump on Sunday to fixate on policy — not showmanship — in order to win this election.
Graham (R-SC) echoed former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s comments from last week in urging Trump to focus on serious policy discussion over personally attacking his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“President Trump can win this election. His policies are good for America, and if you have a policy debate for president, he wins,” Graham told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Donald Trump the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election.”
“I’m looking for President Trump to show up in the last 80 days to define what he will do for our country, to fix broken borders, to lower inflation,” Graham continued.
The senator underscored that forcing Harris to defend her track record as vice president would put Democrats in a tough spot.
“A nightmare for Harris is to defend her policy choices,” Graham surmised. “Every day we’re not talking about her policy choices as vice president, and what she would do as president, is a good day for her and a bad day for us.
“Policy is the key to the White House.”
Last week, Haley, Trump’s last standing 2024 GOP primary rival, publicly warned that the 45th president — who has attacked Harris on her race identity and looks — needs to “make a serious shift” and be more “focused” on kitchen-table issues.
The Palmetto State senator stressed that top Republicans, even those who critique Trump’s slash-and-dash antics and unencumbered brand of politics, should “actually campaign for the guy rather than just give advice.”
“Me and Nikki need to go to Georgia. We’re giving advice on TV to President Trump,” he told “Meet the Press,” referring to others such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). “Let’s get together and actually campaign for the guy.”
Other allies of Trump such as former adviser Kellyanne Conway, have also pressed him that the winning formula is “fewer insults, more insights and that policy contrast.”
GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance took note of those criticisms, particularly from Haley.
“I think Ambassador Haley is right that we have to reach a broader group of voters, but I think that we’re doing exactly that,” Vance told “Fox News Sunday.”
“We’ve been making a very simple argument that when Kamala Harris became president or vice president, I should say, she caused policies that led to a rapid increase in inflation and a rise in chaos around the world,” he added.
Trump also indicated that he would “love” to have Haley campaign for him.