Trump’s Desperate Move to Avoid Embarrassing Defeat Is Exposed

Donald Trump is desperately groveling for Republicans to back his endorsed candidate in the South Carolina Senate race to avoid another high-profile defeat, it has been revealed.

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The president had faced criticism from his base for his backing Darlene Graham, the sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, in the GOP South Carolina Senate primary because of her complete lack of political experience and MAGA credentials.

After it was confirmed that Graham had not won the race outright, Trump immediately began trying to butter up other South Carolina Republicans to get them to back his chosen candidate, The Washington Post reported. Trump was so panicked that he even called former South Carolina governor and congressman Mark Sanford, who has been a vocal critic of the president for years.

Trump rang Sanford—dubbed the “Love Guv” after admitting to an extramarital affair while serving as South Carolina’s governor in 2009—on Tuesday night to try to get him to endorse Graham over Norman ahead of the August 25 runoff.

Trump did not press Sanford too hard during the brief call, sources told the Post. Sanford informed him that he had not made a decision and might not back either candidate in the runoff.

Sanford lost his House re-election primary in 2018 after speaking out against Trump during his first term. He launched a long-shot bid in the 2020 Republican presidential primary against incumbent Trump.

Trump also called Rep. Russell Fry, a Trump ally who came in third in the primary and still has not endorsed Graham or Norman in the runoff, to try to convince him to back the president’s candidate.

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Trump is also weighing holding a rally for Graham in the Myrtle Beach area, which is in Fry’s district, in order to drum up support from the lawmaker’s supporters either way.

Trump’s desperation set in after he suffered major embarrassment when some of his endorsed candidates lost their primary races.

The same night as the South Carolina GOP Senate primary, the Trump-endorsed Amir Hassan lost his bid for Michigan’s 8th District after losing the primary to Thomas J. Smith, who was not even in the race after suspending his campaign a month prior.

Days later, MAGA Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles lost his primary for the 5th Congressional District to Republican challenger Charlie Hatcher. Incumbent Ogles’ defeat arrived after he was widely condemned by his own party for disgusting social media posts claiming that “homosexuality has no place in America” and “Muslims don’t belong in American society.”

Some Trump allies are suggesting the president could hedge his bets by offering a dual endorsement for Graham and Norman to avoid eventually looking like he is losing his influence within the GOP.

On Thursday, some South Carolina Republicans received texts containing a poll asking how a dual endorsement would influence their vote in the runoff.

“If Donald Trump issued a second endorsement and endorsed BOTH Ralph Norman and Darlene Graham for U.S. Senate, for whom would you vote?” it asked, reported the Post. It is unclear who paid for the survey to be conducted.

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