Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) acknowledged on Sunday that former President Donald Trump is trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in recent polls, urging Trump to focus more on substantive issues rather than personal insults.
During an interview on ABC’s This Week, host Jonathan Karl asked Graham how Trump could potentially lose the 2024 election. Graham responded by critiquing Trump’s current campaign strategy.
“I think the way that they’re running the campaign is to draw him into insult debates, get all off script, get off the issues,” Graham explained. “Now, in a head-to-head race, Trump is losing slightly, but on the issues, Trump economy plus eight, inflation plus eight, border plus nine. My God, that’s a blowout. Focus on the issues, Mr. President.”
Karl pointed out that Trump seemed more preoccupied with attacking Harris personally than discussing key issues affecting voters. “And if you look at what the former president has said just in the last week or so about Kamala Harris as he looks ahead to this debate, he has called her, quote, low IQ, dumb, someone who, quote, can’t put two sentences together,” Karl noted.
“Now, those sound a little bit more like schoolyard taunts than the stuff of a presidential campaign, but it’s also a strange way to set expectations before a debate.” In response, Graham conceded that Harris “has some talent” but criticized her performance, particularly on foreign policy. “That’s what I would talk about,” he insisted. “Not her IQ.”
Graham’s comments reflect a growing concern among some Republicans that Trump’s focus on personal attacks rather than policy issues could undermine his campaign. As polls show a close race between Trump and Harris, Graham emphasized the need for Trump to shift his strategy and highlight the issues where he holds an advantage with voters.