Lindsey Graham says he'll try to convince Trump to help the GOP secure the House and Senate in 2022
- Sen. Lindsey Graham wants Trump to help drum up support for the GOP in the 2022 elections.
- Graham will meet with Trump to talk about the future of the Republican party.
- "I'm going to try and convince him that we can't get there without you," he told Politico.
Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to leverage former President Donald Trump's influence to ensure that the Republican party takes back the House and Senate in 2022.
In an interview with Politico, Graham said he'll meet with Trump to discuss the future of the GOP and his role in it.
"I'm going to try and convince him that we can't get there without you, but you can't keep the Trump movement going without the GOP united," Graham said on Friday.
"If we come back in 2022, then, it's an affirmation of your policies," he said. "But if we lose again in 2022, the narrative is going to continue that not only you lost the White House, but the Republican Party is in a bad spot."
In the 2020 elections, Democrats took back the Senate from the House, giving President Joe Biden a Democratic stronghold in Congress.
In the remaining weeks of his presidency, Trump signaled that he'd stay involved in politics. He had at one point planned to hold a 2024 campaign event ahead of an eventual potential second run at president.
But support for Trump within the Republican party has dwindled.
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump a second time in January, just days after the January 6 riot during which insurrectionists stormed the Capitol building. House members impeached him on an "incitement of insurrection" charge.
Ten Republican House members were among those who voted to impeach Trump.
The Senate is set to vote later Saturday on whether to acquit or convict Trump. A conviction requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which means Trump is likely to be acquitted.
Most Republican senators have come out ardently against the impeachment proceedings.
Graham indicated he's looking to channel that allyship with Trump into bolstering the GOP in the next mid-term election cycle.
"Trump's got to work with everybody," Graham said. "You got to put your best team on the field. If it's about revenge and going after people you don't like, we're going to have a problem. If this is about putting your best team on the field, we've got a decent chance at coming back."