Trump will lead the Republicans, and his critics will be 'erased,' says Lindsey Graham
- Graham said Monday it was "impossible" for the GOP to progress without Trump as its leader.
- He said those within the party who criticized Trump would "wind up getting erased."
- Republican lawmakers are battling over Trump's future role within the party.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that it was "impossible" for the Republican Party to progress without former President Donald Trump as its leader, adding that those within the party who criticized Trump would "wind up getting erased."
"The most popular Republican in America is not Lindsey Graham. It's not Liz Cheney. It's Donald Trump," Graham told Fox News.
"People on our side of the aisle believe that Trump policies worked, they're disappointed that he lost. And to try and erase Donald Trump from the Republican Party is insane. And the people who try to erase him are going to wind up getting erased.
"It's impossible for this party to move forward without President Trump being its leader because the people who are conservative have chosen him as their leader," Graham said.
"He was the most consequential president for national security since Ronald Reagan. ... The people have chosen him, not the pundits," he added earlier.
Graham's comments come as GOP lawmakers continue to argue over the extent to which Trump should continue to play a formative role within the party. Some senior Republican figures including Graham have suggested that Trump and his politics are integral to the party.
He last week suggested the party "can't grow" without the support of the former president.
Others, including Rep. Liz Cheney, have led criticism of the former president since he was accused of inciting the Capitol riot on January 6.
Trump, who has suggested he would like to run again as the Republican presidential candidate in 2024, has sought to maintain a tight grip as the party's de facto leader.
He continues to endorse candidates who pledge loyalty to him and advance his favored policies, and he has repeatedly attacked his Republican critics, including Cheney.