Lindsey Graham tried to stop Trump from choosing JD Vance as his VP pick, report says
- Sen. Lindsey Graham tried to stop Trump from choosing Sen. JD Vance as his running mate, per WaPo.
- Graham reportedly preferred Sen. Marco Rubio and thought he might be stronger electorally.
Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly made a last-ditch effort to get former President Donald Trump to choose Sen. Marco Rubio — not Sen. JD Vance — as his running mate.
According to the Washington Post, the South Carolina senator was campaigning for Rubio even aboard Trump's plane to the Republican National Convention, arguing that the Florida senator would attract more votes in swing states.
Graham was one of an "array of senators, donors, conservative media personalities and other supporters" who tried to get Trump to choose someone other than Vance, according to the Post.
The reporting comes as Vance experiences some early hiccups on the campaign trail, including defending 2021 remarks in which he derided "childless cat ladies."
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told the Post the former President is "thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance to be his running mate, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House."
It's not entirely surprising that Graham would prefer a different VP candidate than the Ohio senator. Though both men are close to Trump, they come from different wings of the GOP.
Graham and Vance have disagreed most strongly over Ukraine aid. A traditional GOP defense hawk, Graham has been to the country multiple times and has argued forcefully for providing Ukraine with more weapons as it combats the ongoing Russian invasion. Vance, meanwhile, has led the charge in the Senate against the aid.
Their disagreement came to a head in April, when Graham called Vance's position on Ukraine "garbage" and challenged him to travel to Ukraine.
Vance defended his position when asked about it by Business Insider in May — and said he'd be willing to go to Ukraine.
"Would I? Certainly," Vance said. "Obviously, it's not an easy place to get to."
A spokesperson for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Graham has since publicly defended Vance, including during an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
"JD Vance has one of the most compelling stories in American politics," Graham said. "We're on the wrong track. The American people know it, and JD Vance will help President Trump get us on the right track."
Graham, one of three GOP senators who does not have any children, also defended Vance's comments that cast leading Democratic politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris, as "childless cat ladies."
"Yeah, I don't have children. But I'm going to vote for JD and Trump," Graham said. "Now, you should never say anything to hurt anybody's feelings. But when you look at all these interviews by JD, he was talking about how the Democratic Party has abandoned the traditional family."