President Donald Trump reflected on the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the 2018 confirmation hearing as the senator's "finest moment." Trump made these remarks during a phone interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, July 12, 2026, on the program "State of the Union."
Trump recalled Graham's passionate denunciation of Senate Democrats during Kavanaugh's September 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, describing it as a top moment in Senate history. "I think his finest moment was his defense of Brett Kavanaugh, who’s a terrific guy," Trump said. He added that Graham spoke "from the heart" and helped turn the Supreme Court confirmation fight around.
The interview also touched on the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was booked for his 64th appearance on "Meet the Press" before his passing. Tapper invited Trump to return for a broader interview to discuss other topics, noting, "Well, I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues out of respect for Lindsey Graham, but we would love to have you back sometime because I do have a lot of other questions for you, sir." Trump accepted the invitation without specifying a date or format.
As the interview concluded, Trump said his administration was "trying to have CNN go on a normal path."
Loading comments.