Trump backs Lindsey Graham's sister for senate seat

[0:00] The tributes are pouring in for the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday. [0:06] President Trump calling the Republican mainstay a friend who worked hard and was loved by everybody. [0:12] Senator Graham was 71 years old. [0:14] Hello, everyone. This is Outnumbered. [0:16] I'm Emily Campagno, here with my co-host, Harris Faulkner, and also joining us today, [0:21] Cheryl Cassoni, Fox Business anchor and host of American Dream Home on Fox Business, [0:26] Alicia Acuna, Fox News senior correspondent, and Paul Morrow, attorney, retired NYPD inspector, and Fox News contributor. [0:35] Now, the medical examiner's preliminary report says that the senator suffered an aortic dissection due to cardiovascular disease. [0:43] Graham was first elected to the House as part of the 1994 Republican revolution before moving up to the Senate in 2003. [0:51] South Carolina's other senator, Tim Scott, weighed in on his legacy. [0:55] We all miss him dearly, and he's irreplaceable in the Senate. [1:02] He bridged the gap with Republicans, and sometimes he even built a bridge for the Republicans in the Senate and the president. [1:08] When there were disagreements, he would be the guy that would bring all of us together. [1:12] But as a person, I just miss my friend. [1:16] President Trump has ordered flags to fly at half-staff across the nation in the senator's honor. [1:21] He called into Fox & Friends this morning and had this to say about Graham's ability to reach across the aisle. [1:29] He was a great guy. [1:30] He was a friend. [1:31] He would call me all the time. [1:33] He would just... [1:34] He just didn't stop. [1:40] And he would be... [1:41] He was a... [1:42] He was a politician. [1:45] Some people don't call that work. [1:46] A lot of talking. [1:49] But everybody loved him. [1:51] He was good on the other side. [1:53] If I had Democrat problems, he could solve them. [1:56] He was a man of all abilities, actually, and he was a nice man. [2:02] Several Democratic senators paying their respects. [2:05] Virginia's Mark Warner writing, Graham never lost his ability to connect. [2:10] Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren saying, Graham was always willing to negotiate with humor and wit. [2:16] And Minnesota's Amy Klobuchar adding, it was about his love for the world. [2:20] Several world leaders have chimed in as well. [2:22] Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney saying that the senator stood in defense of democracy. [2:28] German Chancellor Frederick Mertz adding simply, I will miss him. [2:32] And Ukrainian President Zelenskyy mourning that America and the world have lost a determined leader. [2:39] The day before he passed, Senator Graham concluded what would be his final foreign policy mission, [2:45] visiting Ukraine with a fierce call to end the war. [2:49] He said he was optimistic and reportedly told another senator, [2:52] this is a big deal. [2:54] We all did good. [2:55] The Wall Street Journal editorial board calling his passing a loss for global freedom. [3:02] Harris, he also served 33 years in the United States Air Force and National Guard [3:07] and retired in 2015 as a colonel. [3:10] And his service, I think, just remains too big to even capture in a moment. [3:16] You know, Senator Graham, at the times that I met him, saw him at McCain's funeral [3:22] and talked with him on my programs interviewing him over the years, he loved to debate. [3:29] Like, you had to be ready to talk to this man. [3:32] And he loved to prove that he knew what he needed to know to win an argument, [3:38] but he was willing to listen to both sides. [3:40] And I think that's why he had so many friends on the Hill. [3:42] I know we had on former President, Vice President Prince last hour, [3:48] and he talked about that military background, too. [3:51] And he said his most memorable moments with Graham were being with troops, [3:57] or being with those men and women. [3:59] Oh, no, go ahead. [4:00] We have that, actually. [4:01] Oh, you do? [4:02] Yeah, and then we can get your thoughts on the other side, guys. [4:04] Take a watch. [4:04] I've got a heavy heart this morning because Senator Lindsey Graham was an American patriot. [4:13] He was a matchless voice for freedom. [4:16] I have to tell you that some of my favorite memories with Lindsey Graham [4:19] were simply being with him, mingling with troops. [4:23] He not only wore the uniform, some 30 years, Air Force and Air Force Reserves, [4:28] but he spoke the language, and he was a fierce, fierce advocate [4:34] for the men and women of our armed forces. [4:37] I love that. [4:37] Yeah, I didn't know you had a little clip of him, so that's great. [4:40] Look, you know, to serve the country, [4:42] you've got to understand everybody in it and love them as Americans. [4:46] I mean, that was the reputation that Senator Graham had. [4:49] So just knowing how much he loved America, wanted to serve her in so many different ways, [4:55] I think it's a good lesson to young people today that, you know, [4:58] if you love the country, find a way to show it. [5:00] Indeed. [5:01] And, Paul, I know many clips are circulating of the late senators' incredible contributions [5:06] on the Hill and in media and then the like and interpersonal connections. [5:11] And one of them during Justice Kavanaugh's contentious hearings [5:14] where he stood up for the integrity of the process and called out, you know, [5:20] what had been up until that point friends among the senator ranks [5:24] where he sort of blew it wide open. [5:26] And many people point to that as a hallmark of his moral integrity [5:29] that was not only never pierced, but was always just head and shoulders [5:33] above so many others there on the Hill. [5:35] Yeah, accurate, I believe. [5:36] You know, it's compared often to that moment in the 50s [5:40] and the McCarthy hearings when Roy Cohn and McCarthy were asked, [5:45] do you have no decency? [5:46] That will be imprinted indelibly in American history. [5:50] And it was Graham that did it. [5:52] I think it points to the fact that history very often, [5:54] more than we consider, turns on the actions of great people, [5:59] people that really rise to the occasion. [6:00] And it's because he had such an affable manner [6:03] and had established himself as somebody who was even keel, [6:06] who would listen to both sides, who could negotiate, [6:08] that he had the purchase to do that. [6:11] When the chips were down, he felt that that was a grave injustice. [6:14] And I think he backed down a lot of people [6:16] because they said, wow, I've never seen him like that. [6:18] I know I never had. [6:19] I would make a couple of points real quick. [6:21] The second thing I would say is just, you know, [6:22] when something like this happens, [6:24] it ends up as an X-ray of who people really are. [6:27] And you can see the people out there who are reacting, [6:29] I think, appropriately, and the people who are not. [6:31] I'm not going to say any names because I don't want to do what they do. [6:34] But I think there are people who are in public life [6:36] who really should check themselves because they haven't acted appropriately. [6:39] And I think it's shameful. [6:41] And then lastly, I would just say the reason this hits so hard [6:43] is because we live in a different era. [6:45] When I was a kid, what I know, even, you know, [6:47] as a young adult reading a newspaper pre-internet, [6:50] who the South Carolina senators were, of course, I wouldn't. [6:53] But in the age of social media, we feel we know these people. [6:56] And you see them regularly, you see the X-Feed, [6:59] you see them on whatever social media, you know, [7:01] you get to know them in a way that normally you would know [7:04] maybe somebody lives a few blocks from you [7:06] or a cousin you don't see that often. [7:08] I think that's why it hits so hard, [7:10] because in a certain way, [7:12] where you know him in a way that in a previous era, [7:15] we feel like we wouldn't. [7:16] And so that's why I think it feels a little bit [7:18] like a death in the family. [7:19] Yeah, and Cheryl, I want to fold into the conversation [7:22] what the president posted on Truth Social, [7:25] which is essentially what's next. [7:27] We can pop it up, then we'll let you, here we go. [7:29] So this is the president saying that [7:30] I recommend to Governor Henry McMaster [7:32] that Lindsey Graham's wonderful sister Darlene [7:35] to serve as interim senator from the great state of South Carolina. [7:39] He writes, this would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, [7:42] who loved her dearly. [7:43] And all who knew the senator's story knew just how much he loved her. [7:47] He raised her as his own adopted her [7:49] when his parents, when their parents passed away, [7:51] when they were young children. [7:52] And I think he would, I am confident [7:55] he is smiling down from heaven at this. [7:57] Your thoughts on either the senator or this next- [7:59] I think that it's a wonderful path forward, [8:02] you know, because Senator Graham, [8:04] I mean, he chaired the House, [8:06] I mean, excuse me, the budget committee, [8:08] one of the most powerful committees, really, [8:10] if you think about it, on the Hill in the Senate. [8:13] I had Senator Bill Haggerty on with me this morning [8:15] on Fox Business, and he just said, [8:17] we've just lost our friend. [8:18] He said, but we've got to continue the work. [8:21] And he made very clear to me this morning [8:23] that there were several pieces of legislation [8:24] they've got to get through. [8:26] The seat will now be filled by his sister. [8:28] I think it's a wonderful choice to have his sister there. [8:30] I mean, you're right. [8:31] I think he's looking down from heaven, [8:33] and he's so proud. [8:34] At the same time, he had such a great victory. [8:38] He was in Ukraine on Friday, [8:40] and he, you know, the Trump administration, [8:43] he got the support. [8:44] There was some back and forth. [8:45] He got the support for them to put more sanctions on Russia. [8:48] He was such a, you know, cheerleader for the Ukrainians, [8:50] for President Zelensky, and he felt great. [8:53] You know, and the president talked about it. [8:54] He's like, I was on the phone with him [8:55] just right before he passed away. [8:57] You know, like, you can hear the president saying, [8:59] I have lost a friend and a confidant. [9:01] But you hear that from so many people, [9:02] Senator Scott, saying the same thing. [9:04] So you hear that mutual respect. [9:06] But the work is going to continue. [9:08] She will be a part of that now. [9:10] And I'm, I have to say it, [9:12] I can't wait to see her on the Senate floor [9:14] and to see her just, you know, [9:16] taking on the work of her brother. [9:18] I'm, you know, and my heart breaks for her [9:21] to have lost her brother this way. [9:23] But certainly it's, you know, [9:25] I think it's the right decision. [9:26] And certainly I think, you know, [9:27] the machine that is our government, [9:29] like the country keeps running and has to keep running. [9:32] So while the, the world is mourning this moment, [9:36] everyone is also appreciating that the work has to be done. [9:39] And therefore it's, it's sort of like, [9:41] we take a beat and then move forward. [9:43] And certainly I think there's, [9:44] there's no greater honor to the senator's memory [9:46] than to keep moving forward and getting some good things accomplished for the country. [9:51] Absolutely. [9:51] And in his name, and the question is, [9:53] who is it in the Senate who can do this [9:56] and move things the way that Lindsey Graham could? [9:59] And Paul, you just said something [10:01] that really sticks with my heart. [10:04] When you said, [10:04] it feels like we knew him from watching him. [10:07] I never met him, [10:09] but he was someone who carried himself in public life [10:12] in a way that was fierce and hilarious. [10:15] And that he's one of those people [10:16] where you watch and you feel like, [10:18] I wish I knew him. [10:19] I would love to sit next to him one day. [10:22] Inslee Erhardt talked on Sunday [10:23] about sitting next to him at a state dinner [10:25] for the royal family. [10:26] She said the two of them both said, [10:27] I'm so glad I'm sitting next to you. [10:29] But anybody who sat next to him [10:31] would walk away feeling smarter [10:33] and, and happier and also hilarious. [10:36] And I think it is so telling. [10:38] Lindsey Graham held a very specific [10:39] and unique place in the history of the Senate. [10:42] And I think it's so telling that Democrats, [10:45] some of his fiercest adversaries [10:47] had some of the best stories to tell about him. [10:50] They fought. [10:51] They were at loggerheads all of the time [10:53] and they did it publicly, loudly [10:54] and sometimes kind of mean, both sides. [10:57] But they had some of the best things to say about him. [10:59] That says so much. [11:00] Yeah. Real quickly, [11:01] I've been going back, messaging back and forth [11:03] between Senator Tim Scott. [11:05] 4 p.m. today will be when Henry McMaster, [11:08] the governor of South Carolina, [11:10] makes the decision and announcement. [11:12] Tim Scott, the senator, will be in Columbia, he says, [11:15] but we don't know exactly what McMaster will do yet. [11:18] So, you know, you heard from the president [11:20] from what Emily reported. [11:21] So we'll see what happens next. [11:22] 4 p.m. Eastern. [11:23] Hey, everyone. [11:24] I'm Emily Campagno. [11:25] Catch me and my co-hosts, [11:27] Harris Faulkner and Kaylee McEnany [11:29] on Outnumbered every weekday at 12 p.m. Eastern [11:32] or set your DVR. [11:34] Also, don't forget to subscribe [11:35] to the Fox News YouTube page for daily highlights.