Ralph Norman had been defeated in South Carolina\u2019s U.S. Senate runoff<\/a> that same day – beaten in the Republican<\/a> primary by Senator Darline Graham<\/a>, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200bTrump had thrown his weight behind Graham<\/a>, although that failed to give Graham enough of an edge to avoid a run-off.<\/p>\n \u200bDuring his concession speech, Norman said that the Democratic Party had gotten what they wanted with Graham\u2019s victory and mentioned Trump\u2019s name, prompting boos from the crowd.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cDemocrats, they got what they wanted,\u201d Norman said. \u201cI get that. But you know, the president got involved. He has that right. That\u2019s his prerogative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bDespite the crowd\u2019s response, Norman continued to mention Trump<\/a> and expressed confusion over the president\u2019s choice to weigh in on the race.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cWell y\u2019all, his policies are good,\u201d he said. \u201cI never understood why he got in this race\u2026 but it is what it is, and I\u2019ll accept it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bThen, Norman appeared to attempt to be optimistic.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cSomething good will come out of this,\u201d the representative said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is, but something good will come out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Norman\u2019s defeat in the Senate primary is his second loss this year, having placed third in the Republican gubernatorial primary in June.<\/p>\n \u200bGraham\u2019s campaign had received a huge amount of support from Trump<\/a>, with the president even appearing at rally for her.<\/p>\n \u200bThe commander-in-chief<\/a> suggested that a vote for Graham would \u201cgo down as one of the best votes you\u2019ve ever made for a political person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI asked her to do it. I got her into this whole thing,\u201d Trump told supporters. \u201cI have to make sure she gets in because there will be nobody better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bThe Trump-linked Super PAC MAGA Inc. also injected $827,000 into Graham\u2019s campaign, according to federal campaign finance filings obtained by The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200bGraham is a newcomer to politics, having taken over from her brother as one of South Carolina<\/a>\u2019s two senators after his death in July.<\/p>\n \u200bLindsey Graham, who had become known<\/a> as the \u201cTrump whisperer,\u201d often expressed an interest in foreign policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, that same issue became a flashpoint in his sister\u2019s campaign<\/a>, with the incumbent senator admitting in a debate<\/a> that \u201cnational security is not my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI\u2019m not that informed on national security,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u200bMeanwhile, Norman described Taiwan<\/a> as a \u201cdefinite ally\u201d and praised Trump for \u201cenabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Supporters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-26-at-10-33-33.png\")
Supporters of Representative Ralph Norman booed at his mention of President Trump, following the former man’s primary loss (C-Span)<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2290840341...jpeg\")
President Trump has thrown his weight behind Senator Darline Graham (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"Senator](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2254126154...jpeg\")
Senator Darline Graham is the sister of late ‘Trump whisperer’ Lindsey Graham (center) (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n