Darline Graham fell short in the Senate race against Annie Andrews. BY: MEGA
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Key Highlights
During Fox News’ Democracy 26 election special following the catastrophic Republican midterm setbacks, panel members openly criticized PresidentDonald Trump’sdecision to endorse Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, labeling her a “weak candidate” who struggled with national security issues.
During the election coverage, prominent Fox News figures evaluated the choice of Graham — who had been appointed to the seat of her late brother, Sen.Lindsey Graham —following electoral losses that saw Democrats projected to take control of both the House and Senate.
Senior political analyst Brit Hume was notably blunt, stating, “This woman, for all of her character, which may be sterling, she’s a weak candidate.”
Darline Graham’s Lack Of Foreign Policy Experience Played Into Her Loss
He pointed to a primary debate in Newberry, South Carolina, where Graham admitted to a lack of national security expertise, stating, “National security is not my thing.”
Host Laura Ingraham noted it is “always risky when, for nostalgic reasons, you pick someone who was the relative of someone who had a big personality.”
Ingraham pointed to high gas prices and public frustration surrounding the conflict with Iran as factors that compounded Graham’s lack of foreign policy experience.
Donald Trump Deflected the Blame Onto Fox New
However, Ingraham defended Trump’s overall political instincts, framing the election results as a referendum on his policies, which she praised as “phenomenal.”
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Following the losses, Trump deflected blame away from his endorsements and onto the network itself.
In multiple Truth Social posts and during live phone calls to Fox News, he claimed: “Fox News bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition.”
Donald Trump Blamed Losses on the Candidates Themselves
He additionally called Fox’s polling units “the worst.” In a later interview, he blamed the losses on the candidates themselves, saying, “They didn’t like the candidates and some of the candidates I endorsed fought me. In other cases, they just didn’t inspire the people to get out and vote.”
Former Rep. Ralph Norman, whom Graham defeated in the August Republican primary by five points with Trump’s backing, stated to The New York Times, “I think they say pride goeth before the fall, and we’re seeing that all across the country. You can’t force a person on South Carolina.”
Despite the devastating losses, the 80-year-old president still refused to take personal responsibility.
‘I Don’t View It as a Hit on Me’
In what the Independent described as a “slurring” statement to Fox News just after midnight on election night, Trump said, “I don’t view it as a hit on me,” he told Fox News. “I think we’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things we’ve done…”
