Some Senate Republicans and Democrats actually agree on one thing: It could take years for another lawmaker to become as big of a voice in any president’s ear on foreign policy as Lindsey Graham was in Donald Trump’s.
In fact, as Trump on Wednesday delivered his first major national security remarks since his informal adviser’s sudden death, some senators wondered aloud whether anyone could truly fill the void created by the South Carolina Republican’s unexpected passing.
Graham used long weekends and recesses to jet around the world, meeting privately and developing relationships with prime ministers and presidents, defense and foreign ministers, parliament members and ambassadors. His Rolodex impressed Trump, and helped him gain influence with the 45th and 47th diplomat in chief, senators said.
“I think Lindsey will be hard to replace. Lindsey had spent an unbelievable amount of time traveling the world and building relationships,” Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, said Tuesday. “A lot of us will have relationships, but nobody’s going to have all the relationships Lindsey had. It’s going to take a long time for anybody to do that.”
