Senator Lindsey Graham is backpedaling—again—after openly promoting the idea of a third Trump term on Fox News, despite the U.S. Constitution very clearly barring it.
In a Tuesday night appearance on Hannity, Graham gushed over President Donald Trump’s controversial United Nations General Assembly address, in which Trump railed against the UN, slammed global migration policies, and dismissed climate action. While the international community recoiled, Graham offered a glowing, almost worshipful review.
“Trump 2028,” he told Sean Hannity. “I hope this never ends.”
Graham didn’t stop there. He parroted Trump’s fictional claim that he ended seven “unendable” wars and praised him for “standing up in the UN and telling the world the way it is.” The South Carolina senator, who once called Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot,” appeared to have done a full 180—again.
“We don’t have to live this way,” Graham said, in reference to the current administration. “I hope he runs again.”
The comment quickly lit up social media and drew condemnation from constitutional experts and political observers alike. Journalist Mehdi Hasan didn’t mince words, saying Graham’s statement amounted to “Republicans just openly calling for unconstitutional, lawless behavior.”
Trump is not allowed to run again. The 22nd Amendment is unambiguous: “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice.” Full stop.
But this isn’t even the first time Graham has floated the idea of scrapping term limits for Trump. Back in March, after another fawning performance during Trump’s address to Congress, Graham posted “Trump 2028!” on X. When challenged, he brushed it off as “a joke.” If this is all a bit, it’s not a funny one.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has repeatedly hinted at overstaying his legal welcome, stoking speculation among supporters and allies. And yes, a sitting member of Congress—Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee—has already introduced a resolution to amend the Constitution so Trump could legally run again in 2028. That wasn’t a joke, either.
Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, weighed in on Graham’s latest episode of political genuflection.
“Trump must have some big-time dirt,” Baker said. “He used to have pretenses of being a serious person.”
The about-face is especially jarring considering how harshly Graham condemned Trump during the 2016 primaries. But in the MAGA era, Graham has rebranded himself as one of Trump’s most loyal defenders—often to the point of parody.
Now, after yet another outlandish interview, Graham finds himself once again trying to claw back credibility, insisting he didn’t mean what everyone heard him say, verbatim, on national television.
