'Revolting' Lindsey Graham interview sends GOP pollster into a tailspin

A recent interview of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sent a long-time GOP pollster into a tailspin on Sunday.

Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, reacted to Graham's interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, where he claimed that Sen. Bill Cassidy's (R-LA) primary loss was a good thing for the Republican Party, during a new episode of the "Bulwark Takes" podcast with Sam Stein, The Bulwark's managing editor. Longwell claimed the interview was "revolting" and showed something truly disturbing about Graham's personality.

"First of all, what an obsequious piece of garbage Lindsey Graham is," Longwell said. "That is such a revolting interview — him needing to sit down and be like, 'This is the party of Donald Trump. Let me see how hard I can kiss up to him.' I remember when Donald Trump gave out his phone number in the primary, and so people were calling him, and Lindsey Graham made a video of himself golfing, hitting his phone, and crushing it."

Graham was one of Trump's biggest critics when Trump first ran for office in 2015. Graham said at the time that the Republican Party would "get crushed" if it elected Trump as its presidential nominee.

However, Graham has since changed his tune. He has been one of the biggest supporters of Trump's highly controversial war in Iran, and has regularly defended the president from criticism on issues ranging from the economy to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Graham's mindset shift happened as Trump sought to completely remake the Republican Party in his image. For instance, Trump endorsed state candidates in Indiana who support his redistricting scheme after he met resistance from the current statehouse.

Trump has also endorsed candidates like Navy veteran Ed Gallrein, who is running to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) after Massie publicly supported survivors of Epstein's crimes in his effort to force the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.

"The extent to which [Graham is] willing to deeply humiliate himself knows no bottom as best I can tell," Longwell said.