Posted on 12/11/2015 12:50:19 PM PST by Maceman
MANCHESTER, N.H.-- Lindsey Graham on Thursday stopped just short of becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to say he will not support Donald Trump if the New York businessman becomes the presidential nominee of his party.
But the South Carolina senator came close.
"I'd rather lose without him than try to win with him, if he keeps doing what he's doing," Graham said, using an important caveat in his remark, at a midday stop in Greenland. Trump was to meet with members of the New England Police Benevolent Association in Portsmouth on Thursday night.
Graham also applied to Trump comments made earlier this week by former U.S. Senate Majority leader and 1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole, who said he "might oversleep" on Election Day if U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas becomes the nominee.
But in a one-on-one interview later Thursday in Manchester with WMUR.com, Graham would not say unequivocally that he will not support Trump.
"I’m trying my best to be a good Republican," Graham said. "The one thing I don’t want to do is put the party in a bad spot because we got a guy like Donald Trump, who is dividing us."
"I signed a pledge," Graham said, referring to a pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee that all the candidates, including Trump, signed during the summer.
"And it means something to me," Graham said. "It doesn’t mean anything to Donald Trump, and I don’t want to be like him."
"At the end of the day I believe that the party is going to pick somebody who is a Republican and can bring us together," Graham said.
Paraphrasing Dole's comments about Cruz, Graham applied it to Trump.
"If Donald Trump is the nominee, I'm liable to oversleep that day," he said. "That goes for me, too."
Graham also said that Trump "is not a Republican, he's a fraud."
Earlier, in Greenland, Graham continued his criticism of Trump. And, questioned by an attendee at a Portsmouth Rotary Club meeting, he came close to saying he will not back Trump, but did not cross the line.
"I’ve called him every name I know to call him," Graham said, "from race baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. I'm running out of adjectives.
"Do I want to buy a ticket on the Titanic? No. Do I believe that Donald Trump will get his clock cleaned by Hillary Clinton? Yes.
"Do I believe that Hispanics are mad at Donald Trump? Without any doubt."
"Do I believe he represents the worst in America and not the best? Yes."
"I'm trying to be a good Republican and even a better American," Graham said, insisting that Trump will not be the nominee. "He's not a Republican."
“Here's what Bob Dole said, 'If he wins I’m likely to oversleep.'"
Graham will continue his latest campaign visit on Friday with a town hall meeting at Concord High School and a meeting with the Concord Chamber of Commerce.
Lindsay is mentally ill.
LOL — I suspect that Trump would do very well WITHOUT Gramnesty’s “support”.
Go back to your DC bathhouse towel-boy job, Linda.
Graham is a worthless publicity whore. People in poll after poll reject him.
No one should be called a “Presidential Candidate” if their poll numbers are equal to mine.
He’s going to come out soon and remove all doubt.
How could Linda consider voting for someone he once told to ‘go to hell’?
Sound like he needs help.
Going against Trump may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and finally gets Graham primaried.
Of course Medved has Graham on to start his show today.
No mention of Graham’s slam on 40% of the GOP as ignant racists.
Medved keeping a tight rein on Linseed.
You’ve already “LOST”. bigmouth, so do us all a favor and shut up.
I wonder if “Goober Graham” signed the same pledge that Trump signed ?
The one that said Trump would support the Republican nominee ???
“I’d rather lose without him than try to win with him”= I’ll vote for Hillary.
I think any Republican candidate would do better in the general election if Lindsey Graham endorsed Hillary.
Can someone please explain to me what this statement means?
Graham is a total phuckwit, everyone knows he doesn’t have a Chinaman’s chance in Hell of being the nominee, let alone even winning his own home state.
The best thing that pansy can do is to just come out of the closet, and cross the aisle into the eager arms of the ‘RAT/LGBT ‘community’.
I don’t think The Donald needs your support Lindseed. Get lost.
To Graham it would be better to lose than to spend an entire election season with Trump as the representative of the Republican party saying the things he has been saying. ...than to try to win with him
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LOLOLOL