Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) downplayed former President Donald Trump's Nazi-style rhetoric about immigrants.
On a Sunday interview on Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked Graham to react to a speech Trump gave over the weekend when he said immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country."
"The Biden campaign has accused former President Trump of, quote, parroting Adolf Hitler," Welker noted. "Are the President's comments representative of how you and other Republicans feel?"
Graham avoided answering the question directly.
"76% of the American people, not Donald Trump, believe the border is broken," he said. "They're worried about fentanyl coming over and killing their kids."
"But what about his language, Senator?" Welker pressed. "Just that language, that poisoning the blood."
"I'm worried about an outcome," an angry Graham replied. "He is right. He had the border secured, the lowest in 40 years, in December of 2020."
"To the Biden administration, you're talking about Donald Trump's language," he continued. "As you set on the sidelines and allowed the country to be invaded, 172 people on the terrorist watch list have come on your watch."
Welker asked again if Graham was comfortable with Trump's rhetoric.
"You know, we're talking about language," the senator shot back. "I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right."
"If you think you're going to win the debate on illegal immigration by picking a line out of the Trump speech," he added, "most Americans understand the game has to change, that we're under threat, that we're going to get attacked, that our border has completely been obliterated."
