Republican Senate candidate Darline Graham sparked controversy during the final GOP primary debate in South Carolina after admitting, “I’m not that informed on national security” and saying, “National security is not my thing.”
Graham made the remarks after being asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea should be considered U.S. national security issues. She said she supports the military and highlighted her family’s military background, but acknowledged that national security is not her area of expertise.
The comments come just one week before the special election runoff to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Her opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman, immediately emphasized his experience in Congress and called Taiwan a definite U.S. ally while praising Donald Trump’s approach toward Taiwan and China.
The debate exchange has intensified scrutiny of the Republican race, particularly over foreign policy and national security experience.
#DarlineGraham #SouthCarolina #GOP #RepublicanParty #SenateRace #USPolitics #NationalSecurity #Taiwan #SouthChinaSea #DonaldTrump #RalphNorman #BreakingNews #USNews #PoliticalNews #GOPDebate #SenateElection #SouthCarolinaPolitics #Election2026 #TrumpNews #ForeignPolicy #PoliticalControversy #Debate #NewsUpdate #ViralClip #TrendingNews
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Graham made the remarks after being asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea should be considered U.S. national security issues. She said she supports the military and highlighted her family’s military background, but acknowledged that national security is not her area of expertise.
The comments come just one week before the special election runoff to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Her opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman, immediately emphasized his experience in Congress and called Taiwan a definite U.S. ally while praising Donald Trump’s approach toward Taiwan and China.
The debate exchange has intensified scrutiny of the Republican race, particularly over foreign policy and national security experience.
#DarlineGraham #SouthCarolina #GOP #RepublicanParty #SenateRace #USPolitics #NationalSecurity #Taiwan #SouthChinaSea #DonaldTrump #RalphNorman #BreakingNews #USNews #PoliticalNews #GOPDebate #SenateElection #SouthCarolinaPolitics #Election2026 #TrumpNews #ForeignPolicy #PoliticalControversy #Debate #NewsUpdate #ViralClip #TrendingNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00National security question as well.
00:02Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States?
00:07If so, why?
00:10I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?
00:12Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States?
00:17And if so, why or how?
00:20I'm just going to be honest here.
00:22I'm not on national security.
00:24I'm not that informed on national security.
00:29But I do support the military.
00:32My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the
00:38military.
00:39My dad was in the Army.
00:41I'm not a polished politician up here.
00:44National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.
00:51Congressman, I'll give you a chance to respond, and I'm sure he recognizes that we're...
00:55Taiwan's a definite ally, and we have a trading relationship with them that is beneficial to the United States, chips
01:03being one of them, and others.
01:05So what the president is doing right is he's enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.
01:11But it's peace through strength that he's showing with Iran that China, Russia, others are looking at it so that
01:20they don't want to deal with America.
01:22And that's why they haven't attacked Taiwan.
01:25If they had some weak Democrat in office like Biden or another Obama, yeah, they'd take it over.
01:31But we can't let that happen.
01:34We've got to take a strong...
01:35A peace through strength is working.
01:38And now to opening statements.
01:39The candidates will each have 90 seconds.
01:41Congressman Ralph Norman, let us begin with you, sir.
01:44Thank you, Greta.
01:45Thank all of you for coming out.
01:47What an electric crowd.
01:48Greta, you kept them in suspense for a while.
01:51I'm Ralph Norman.
01:52I'm from Rock Hill, South Carolina.
01:54Been a real estate developer for 40 years.
01:57I'm married to the same woman for 51 years, four children, 17 grandchildren, and I turned 40 back in June.
02:06And we're doing very well.
02:09No, it's such an honor to be here under unfortunate circumstances, Darlene.
02:15You were a good sister, and he was a good brother.
02:17But that being said, I am anxious, and I'm excited about what we can do for South Carolina.
02:25My differences aren't with Darlene or really any of the Republicans.
02:31Our differences in who we're fighting are the Socialist Democrats and the RINOs that go along with it.
02:36That's our real battle to save this country.
02:39It's not other Republicans.
02:41That being said, we have a task ahead of us.
02:45And the differences, I'm a proven, I've got a proven record, folks.
02:51You can look me up.
02:52For eight years, I've been in Congress.
02:53I'm the most conservative member.
02:55You know how I'm going to vote.
02:57My resume is my record.
02:59And whether it's all the agencies that rate how you vote, I've been a taxpayer hero for as long as
03:06I can remember.
03:08Club for Growth, Heritage Foundation, the rating agencies, I'm conservative.
03:12What you see is what you get.
03:16The differences that I will point out, we have an unknown candidate who I am running against.
03:24What's clear and loud and clear, I'm not the candidate for the Washington mainstream.
03:30Mr. Congressman, sir, I've got to call time.
03:33I have the unfortunate.
03:34I know that your shot clock is not working, so I'm going to have to call time on you, sir.
03:39Senator, you have 90 seconds.
03:42And it is quite a lively crowd tonight.
03:44But thank you for having me.
03:45And I want to begin by saying thank you for the prayers.
03:48It's been a difficult month for me and my family, so the prayers are very much appreciated.
03:52I also want to thank President Trump for his endorsement.
03:55And other state and national leaders like Tim Scott and Russell Frye.
03:58I also want to thank Lindsay's staff because they have committed to staying with me, and
04:03they are the gold standard when it comes to providing constituent services.
04:08A little bit about me.
04:10Lindsay and I grew up in one room in the back of a bar and liquor store in central South
04:14Carolina
04:15where my parents worked long, hard hours.
04:18That's where we learned a work ethic and the value of a dollar.
04:24For 30 years, I have served the people of South Carolina.
04:29For the past seven, I led a state agency.
04:32I turned it from a struggling agency into a national model.
04:37We had 130 employees and a $90 million budget.
04:40Because of that, I was elected president of a national organization for blind agencies.
04:46I was a member of the State Workforce Development Board.
04:49I served on that for several years.
04:51I'm a problem solver, a critical thinker, and a leader.
04:56I'm a volleyball mom.
04:57I love watching my daughter play volleyball, and I know that boys do not belong in girls' sports.
05:04They certainly don't belong in the girls' locker room.
05:07I'm pro-life.
05:08I was honored and excited today to get the Susan B. Anthony endorsement.
05:13That meant a lot to me.
05:14I strongly support the Second Amendment.
05:16Senator, I'm going to do the same, too, that I had.
05:19Unfortunately, I have to do to the congressman, I have to cut you off for the 90 seconds so we
05:23get through the debate.
05:24I've now done this to both of you.
05:26So I'm going to go to the questions now, and I'm going to ask the first question.
05:29Congressman, I'm going to give it first to you.
05:31Gas prices are record high.
05:33Americans are pinched at the gas station.
05:36Half the country is living paycheck to paycheck.
05:39What can you do in the U.S. Senate to try to relieve this economic pain for so many citizens?
05:45The first thing I'm going to do in the Senate is wake them up.
05:49Save America is my goal.
05:51Save America is my goal.
05:55Save Act should have been passed.
05:57It hasn't been.
05:58That being said, on lowering gas prices, we've got to get the Straits of Hormuz opened, and the president has
06:04done a good job.
06:05He inherited a wreck with Joe Biden.
06:08So what he will have to do is move forward to making sure the war and the oil prices are
06:15low.
06:16So I've got to make sure, and I will do as a businessman, go to the businesses, cut regulations, talk
06:23to exactly what is needed.
06:24Affordability is needed all over the country, and it's not happening in South Carolina.
06:28It's not happening.
06:29It's straining people all over the country.
06:31So with regulations and getting involved, I know what they go through from day one, and I will take the
06:39time to do that.
06:40Senator, same question, too.
06:41Gas prices are record high.
06:43Americans are pinched at the grocery store, living paycheck to paycheck, half of America.
06:48So what can you do in the U.S. Senate to alleviate that pain?
06:51Well, I know how that feels.
06:53There's 50 million people in South Carolina.
06:56Half of them live paycheck to paycheck.
06:5860% of them don't have three-month savings to get by.
07:02I've been there before.
07:03I've struggled, too.
07:05I trust President Trump to get the Straits of Hormuz open.
07:08Iran is the weakest it's been in 47 years.
07:12But we cannot let them get a nuclear weapon.
07:16But I tell you who voted to increase the gas tax, and that's my opponent.
07:21And I can tell you that doesn't help people at the pump.
07:25Next question goes to my colleague, Dan.
07:28On the economy.
07:29Senator Graham, the national debt is approaching $40 trillion, and interest payments are consuming an increasingly large part of the
07:37federal budget.
07:38What significant area of federal spending would you be willing to cut or reform to put the country on a
07:44more sustainable fiscal path?
07:46I think President Trump has already done a great job cutting spending.
07:51He's cut a lot of fraud.
07:52But I think there's more fraud to be cut.
07:55When I worked in state government, one of the things I focused on was duplication of services.
08:00I worked to cut duplication of services to save taxpayers' dollars.
08:05I think there's more duplication going on in the federal government that we can work on cutting.
08:10So I think we need to identify more fraud, wasteful spending, and duplication of services.
08:16Okay.
08:17Congressman Norman, same question.
08:18What areas of federal spending would you be willing to cut or reform?
08:21Well, the cash in America is overspending.
08:24The fact is, we don't cut anything in Congress.
08:27I've been a lone wolf, lone voice for cutting.
08:31The Doge Commission identified over $100 billion, and we only had $9 billion in cuts because politicians, both Democrat and
08:40Republican, cannot cut.
08:41You've got to live within your means.
08:43And we're facing a crisis not just on the national level.
08:47At every single agency, the Highway Trust Fund, Social Security is going to run out at the end of the
08:53year.
08:53Actually, before the end of the six-year term, that I'll serve in the Senate.
08:58So it's cutting spending.
09:00It's identifying the waste, fraud, and abuse that we already know.
09:03But we haven't had the courage to do it as a body.
09:06And that's what I will be a voice for doing that and singling out exactly what items needed to be
09:11cut
09:11and bring it back to South Carolinians and to the people all over the country.
09:16Kevin, you have the next question on the economy.
09:19Congressman, back to you talking about Social Security.
09:21If you can elaborate on that, 1.1 million South Carolinians rely on Social Security.
09:26But like you said, the program is a significant financial shortfall and insolvency in six years.
09:31At that point, the law requires a 22 percent cut.
09:34Do we keep Social Security?
09:36How do you fix it?
09:37And please be specific.
09:37No, we can't keep it as the way it is.
09:40Again, it's kind of like the cuts.
09:41We just haven't had the courage to tackle Social Security because we have worthless notes
09:47that it's not like the money that is the taxpayers that's accumulating for them to spend.
09:53And to say it's a – to face a 25 percent cut is outrageous.
09:58It ought to infuriate every American.
10:01What we will do is put up concrete bills that will let Americans spend more of their own money.
10:08And the politicians simply have not been willing to do that.
10:11Americans are perfectly capable of spending their own money.
10:15Money is one thing.
10:16The other thing is just calling it out for what it is.
10:19There are people on – that have a Social Security number that aren't even living.
10:24That's part of the waste for all and the abuse that have taken advantage of the system.
10:27We'll have the courage to call it out and to try to get this system solved.
10:32Senator Graham, to you talking about Social Security, how you would save it?
10:35Social Security was put in place to protect our elderly from living in poverty.
10:41So we have to keep Social Security.
10:44Lindsay and I relied on Social Security when our parents died when we were younger.
10:49So Social Security is important.
10:51I have an aunt who's 90-something years old.
10:54She relies on Social Security.
10:56At the agency I worked at, one of the ways we did it is we helped train individuals who are
11:01blind or low vision go to work.
11:04Our successful employment rates were trending up each year.
11:08What that meant is they were no longer relying on the government, on Social Security disability insurance and SSI.
11:16So they were less reliant on the government and earning wages to support their families.
11:21So the more programs we have like that and also cutting fraud and waste.
11:26We'll turn from the economy now to health care.
11:29Ben, you have the first question.
11:30Congressman Norman, even though President Biden gave him a sweeping federal pardon,
11:36Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment at a recent Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on COVID-19.
11:42The committee voted to hold him in contempt of Congress and refer him to the Department of Justice for potential
11:47prosecution.
11:48Do you believe Dr. Fauci should be held in contempt and prosecuted?
11:51And as a U.S. Senator, what would you do to hold Dr. Fauci and future Dr. Fauci's accountable?
11:59He ought to be in an orange jumpsuit.
12:01I mean, bottom line.
12:05Folks, I was the only congressman that stood with the frontline doctors on the steps of the Supreme Court.
12:11And the fact is that if you listen to the Senate hearings, him taking the fifth, he killed a million
12:20people.
12:21So, yes, and if they prove an auto pen, signed his pardon, I hope they'll retry him and put him
12:29in jail.
12:30He has no remorse.
12:31That's the problem with this man.
12:32The ego, the books, the money he made is outlandish.
12:37And when he even asked him for a, you know, to apologize, he couldn't even, he didn't have the decency
12:42to do that.
12:44We should have, and I got, I didn't wear a mask.
12:46I got fined by a stupid Pelosi for not wearing a mask.
12:50It was insane the whole time.
12:52But we have to call it out ahead of time.
12:54And then again, it gets back to politicians calling a spade a spade and making sure we don't fall for
13:00another virus
13:01which is coming down the pike.
13:04Senator Graham, same question.
13:06Should Dr. Fauci be held in contempt of prosecuted?
13:09And what would you do to hold him and future Dr. Fauci's accountable?
13:13Dr. Fauci stared at the floor basically the whole time they asked him questions.
13:19A hundred and eleven times he refused to answer the questions.
13:23I think that's absurd.
13:25So, yes, I think he should be in jail as well.
13:29Here's my concern.
13:30My opponent received $600,000 in COVID bailout money and convinced President Trump or tried
13:41to convince President Trump not to extend the $600 unemployment money for laid-off workers.
13:49So that's a bit concerning for me.
13:52Kevin, you have a health care question on Medicare.
13:58Does he want to rebuttal?
14:00Congressman, do you want to respond to the COVID question?
14:05Do you want to respond to the COVID, the $600,000 in the allegation about President Trump?
14:12Look, COVID was a disaster, man-made, put up with by the government.
14:17It's got me not believing anything the government says with what they perpetrated.
14:22World Health Organization, we should have withdrawn from that for a long time.
14:28There's other viruses that they're going to try to put on the American people that we can't put up with.
14:33And I would just say we cannot have a repeat of COVID is my only response.
14:37Kevin, you have a question on Medicare.
14:38Senator Graham talking about Medicare.
14:40Like Social Security, Medicare is also facing a pending shortfall, which will lead to an 11% cut in payments.
14:47So what is your message to 1.27 million South Carolinians who rely on this program that faces insolvency in
14:54seven years?
14:55One thing we have to work hard to do is maintain Medicare for our elderly.
15:01They rely on that, and Social Security, I've already addressed, we have to maintain the Social Security benefits for the
15:07elderly.
15:07Really. Here's where I have a problem with the Democrats.
15:10If it were up to the Democrats, they would have Medicare for all, and that would bankrupt our country.
15:20Thomas, for Norman, same question about Medicare.
15:23Yeah, if you look at the Medicare and actually Medicaid rolls, you have illegals that are drawing benefits, and not
15:31just that program.
15:33And, you know, trying to have some checks and balances.
15:35And what the American people want are consequences for these people.
15:38You've got to have the willingness to identify who they are and get them off the rolls.
15:43It's a, it is a program that, it's not if, it's just when it's going bankrupt.
15:49And for us not to even touch the ones that should never have been on the payrolls anyway, it's just
15:55wrong to do.
15:56Carson, what would you do to improve access to health care across the country?
16:01Because it's very uneven, a lot of people don't have access.
16:04Obamacare was a wreck.
16:06It was a one-size-fits-all.
16:09There again, Ms. Pelosi and her comment that you've got to pass it before you read it.
16:16Every congressman, every senator should have stood up and said, we're not going to do that.
16:20We're going to read it first and understand it.
16:22No, it's, it's a, as a business owner, you expand HSA accounts where businesses can deduct it.
16:30You let, let the patient pick the, the services that they want.
16:35Not have, again, one-size-fits-all.
16:37You ought to shop across state lines to, for your policies and make it competitive.
16:43There's no one in this audience that when you get a doctor's bill, you can't read it.
16:46You can't understand it.
16:48That's, it's not that difficult.
16:49It's done for a reason.
16:50We've got to hold the, the insurance companies accountable and make sure we can read it and, and understand it
16:56and know what we're paying for.
16:58That's why these concierge doctors who don't want to deal with insurance companies because, in the government, because of the
17:05delays, they want to be able to go, pay cash and, and, and go home.
17:11Senator, what would you do to get greater access to people across the country who don't have access to health
17:16care to make it more even, accessibility even easier?
17:19All right.
17:20I'm worried about South Carolina.
17:23A third of our rural hospitals are in danger, at risk of being closed.
17:27President Trump allocated $50 billion for rural hospitals, $200 million of it went to South Carolina.
17:36I currently sit on the Appropriations Committee, so I would make sure that more money comes into South Carolina to
17:44help support these rural hospitals, because we can't deny access to people in rural communities.
17:50All right, turning to national security, Gavin, you have the first question about the war in Iran.
17:55Okay, you, Senator.
17:57President Trump signed a 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear
18:03program.
18:04That deadline passed on Monday.
18:06Do you support continuing this war with Iran?
18:08You have both voted against a War Powers Resolution containing the president.
18:12So what does victory look like?
18:14What is a win for you when it comes to Iran?
18:16You know, I fully trust President Trump when it comes to the war in Iran.
18:2147 years this has been going on.
18:25Iran is the weakest they have been in 47 years.
18:29The one thing that concerns me is we cannot let them get a nuclear weapon.
18:35So I trust President Trump in everything he's doing.
18:39I think he's got this, and I trust him on it.
18:43Congressman, what does a win look like in Iran for us?
18:45A win looks like, I mean, he took them out militarily as far as the nuclear, getting a nuclear weapon,
18:52where you had, you know, Obama paying cash bribes in the middle of the night.
18:58So he did the job to take them out.
19:00They were a severe threat, and he had the courage to do that.
19:04Now, I think that we've got to end it.
19:07I think we're going to have to tell the American people what's it going to take if the Straits of
19:14Hormuz are still dominated by a country that's supposed to be decimated.
19:19We've got to have some, you know, some understanding on that, because I'm not for endless wars.
19:24You win them, and you get out.
19:26And so I think once he explains that is what's going to have to be done.
19:33Let me follow up on that, Congressman.
19:35So what would you recommend to the president that he do?
19:40Well, I think he needs to, you know, he sees what's happening in Congress.
19:45It's codified.
19:46If you have to put boots on the ground after 60 days, you have to get approval from Congress.
19:51He doesn't have the approval.
19:52The Democrats hate him for anything he does, so he can't get approval from Congress.
19:57But I think he just needs to, if it's more air power, if it's more taking out the, you know,
20:04whoever the lunatics are that are running the country.
20:07Now, what makes it difficult is they have no regard for human life.
20:11I mean, they made the comment that they will outlast this president, President Trump.
20:17And so, you know, how are they able to do that?
20:20So that, he's going to have to go ahead and do whatever it takes to get them out.
20:24Senator, how would you answer that?
20:26What would you tell the president to do?
20:27Well, he's already decimated the leadership over there.
20:31I think he's doing a great job.
20:33The Strait of Hormuz, obviously, is not open yet, but I think it will be.
20:38Again, I trust him to do what he can to end the war in Iran.
20:45Again, they're the weakest they've been in 47 years.
20:47I know they're still dangerous, but his goal is to make sure they don't have a nuclear weapon.
20:52We cannot let these people get a nuclear weapon.
20:56So I think we have to pay a little bit now, but ultimately, in the end game, if we prevent
21:01them from getting a nuclear weapon, which is his goal, I think he'll be successful and
21:07our country will be much better off.
21:09Van, you have a question.
21:10Munition supply.
21:12Yeah.
21:12Yes, Greta.
21:13Senator Graham, the war in Ukraine and the conflict with Iran have shown that modern warfare can
21:19rapidly consume artillery and munitions, missiles, drones, air defense interceptors.
21:24What should the United States do to ensure that it can manufacture enough weapons and
21:29ammunition to sustain a major conflict while maintaining adequate reserves for our military
21:35and our allies?
21:36Well, one of the things I would do is work with President Trump to get the defense bill
21:41passed.
21:43It's being held up by the Democrats right now.
21:46I do believe my opponent in the past has voted against the defense spending bill.
21:54Congressman Norman, same question.
21:56What would you do to ensure that we've got an adequate supply of weaponry to keep this
22:01country safe?
22:02Well, first of all, you know, the fact that we are having to pass continuing resolutions
22:09because we can't get the Democrats on anything, they're for total disarmament.
22:13And so that's what complicates it.
22:15But our defense budget for the coming year is over a trillion dollars.
22:19And by the way, our interest alone is exceeding our military budget.
22:24We can't sustain it.
22:26We had to pass a, what was the $320 billion, pared down to a $90 billion bill just to maintain
22:34and get the weapons that we need to have air superiority.
22:39So, you know, it's a, it's got, military has got to be front and center stage, but we've
22:45got to explain to the American people where we are.
22:47And I don't know what her comment was about me voting against a, some defense bill.
22:54With the big, beautiful bill, we made it better.
22:56I voted against it because we cut things.
22:58And the president even agreed when we went in there.
23:01So I don't, it's silly seasoned folks, all these attack ads.
23:05It's laughable what, how she's doing there.
23:11Senator, Senator, you can reply to that if you wish.
23:14I'm sorry.
23:15You can reply to that if you wish.
23:16Yes.
23:17It's kind of ironic when you talk about the big, beautiful bill, because it's my understanding
23:22that you were the holdout on the big, beautiful bill.
23:25And Trump had to call you in and convince you to sign it.
23:36Let me move on.
23:37National security question, mine is.
23:40Well, we can go back and forth on this.
23:42All right.
23:42I'll let you respond.
23:43I'll let you respond.
23:44If that is just not true.
23:46It's like all these ads you're, you're placing.
23:49It's, it's fake.
23:50No, what, what happened?
23:52What happened was I was on the budget committee.
23:54We had another bite at the apple.
23:56When you're in the business arena, you drive the hardest bargain as long as you can.
24:00I held out and we came to the office.
24:02It wasn't anything like what you're talking about.
24:04It was, he says, what are you holding it up for?
24:06I said, well, the subsidies for electric cars is dumb.
24:09The subsidies for passive solar and wind are stupid.
24:12I was cutting it out and we made it better.
24:15He agreed.
24:16And so we got it passed and I would do that over again.
24:18I don't apologize for it.
24:25Senator, Senator, if you want to respond or we can move on, it's your choice.
24:31That's okay.
24:31We'll move on.
24:32Okay.
24:32We'll move on.
24:32All right.
24:33Okay.
24:34Go ahead.
24:34On the national security question as well.
24:37Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States?
24:42If so, why?
24:45I'm sorry.
24:46Could you repeat the question?
24:47Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States?
24:52And if so, why or how?
24:55I'm just going to be honest here.
24:57I'm not on national security.
24:59I'm not that informed on national security.
25:04But I do support the military.
25:06My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years.
25:10So I will do everything I can to support the military.
25:15My dad was in the Army.
25:17I'm not a polished politician up here.
25:19National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise.
25:24But I do support the military.
25:26Congressman, I'll give you a chance to respond.
25:28And I'm sure he recognizes that we'll...
25:31Taiwan's a definite ally.
25:33And, you know, we have a trading relationship with them that is beneficial to the United States,
25:38chips being one of them, and others.
25:40So what the president is doing right is he's enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.
25:46But it's peace through strength that he's showing with Iran that China, Russia, others are looking at it
25:55so that they don't want to deal with America.
25:58And that's why they haven't attacked Taiwan.
26:01If they had some weak Democrat in office like Biden or another Obama, yeah, they'd take it over.
26:07But we can't let that happen.
26:09We've got to take a strong...
26:10A peace through strength is working.
26:13All right.
26:13Now, the issue of the course of Senator Lucy Graham had enormous amount of support for...
26:18We're talking about Israel.
26:19And Van, first of TV, you have a question about Israel.
26:21Well, Congressman Norman, to you first.
26:23President Reagan once said,
26:25America has never flinched from the commitment to the state of Israel,
26:29a commitment which remains unshakable.
26:31How do you view Israel and its relationship with America today?
26:36Israel is our only democracy in the Middle East.
26:39Israel, if you go there, that's God's country.
26:42And, you know, we have continued to maintain good relations.
26:46And the president, I think, has paid many a trip over there.
26:50If you go over there, it changes you.
26:52It just does.
26:52So, yes, we will maintain a great relationship with them, and we support them.
26:58And from what we're hearing in Congress,
27:00they are ready and willing and able to take out Iran
27:04if it means putting troops on the ground.
27:06They're trained soldiers, and they're true patriots.
27:10And, yes, they're a friend, and we have to remain a friend.
27:12Senator Graham, one minute.
27:15Yes, I think we should stand with Israel.
27:17They're one of our strongest allies,
27:19so I definitely support standing with Israel.
27:23I am a little concerned about troops on the ground.
27:25I don't know that that's necessary just yet.
27:28I would like to make sure that we try all economic solutions
27:31before we put troops on the ground.
27:34Okay, we're going to take a quick break.
27:37But stay right where you are in just a few minutes.
27:39We're going to hear more from South Carolina Republican Senate runoff candidates,
27:43South Carolina Senator Darlene Graham,
27:45and South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman.
27:56Lindsay taught me public service isn't about titles.
28:00It's about helping people.
28:02President Trump asked me to run for the Senate to work with him on the issues we care about,
28:08securing the border, defending the unborn, keeping men out of women's sports,
28:13and passing the Save America Act.
28:15I'm Darlene Graham.
28:17I approve this message.
28:18And while I never wanted to be in this position,
28:21I'm ready to serve the people of South Carolina.
28:26The establishment has already picked their candidate.
28:29Same old playbook, same old insiders, I'm not their choice.
28:33And this election is not for sale.
28:36The stakes are too high for political games.
28:39The socialist Democrats are a threat to America.
28:42South Carolina needs a proven conservative with a record of fighting for you.
28:47You shouldn't have to guess where your next senator stands.
28:50With me, you already know.
28:51I'm Ralph Norman, I approve this message, and I'm asking for your vote.
28:57Best ideas and best practices can be found anywhere.
29:00We have to listen so we can govern better.
29:02Democracy depends on heavy doses of civility.
29:05You can fight and still be friendly.
29:08Bridging the divide in American politics.
29:10You know, you may not agree with a Democrat on everything,
29:12but you can find areas where you do agree.
29:13He's a pretty likable guy as well.
29:15Chris Coons and I are actually friends.
29:16He votes wrong all the time, but we're actually friends.
29:19The horrible secret that Scott and I have is that we actually respect each other.
29:23We all don't hate each other.
29:24You two actually kind of like each other.
29:26These are the kinds of secrets we'd like to expose.
29:28It's nice to be with a member who knows what they're talking about.
29:31You guys did agree to the civility, all right?
29:33He owes my son $10 from a bet.
29:36He is never paid.
29:37But fork it over.
29:39That's fighting words right there.
29:40I'm glad I'm not in charge for that.
29:42I'm thrilled to be on the show with him.
29:43They're not shows like this, right, incentivizing that relationship.
29:48Ceasefire, Friday nights on C-SPAN.
30:09I'm Greta Van Susteren, and we are here in the absolutely gorgeous town of Newberry, South Carolina, at the Newberry
30:15Opera House.
30:16Newberry is just about 45 minutes outside Columbia, South Carolina, which, of course, is the state capital.
30:24And I want to welcome back my panelists, Van Hipp and Gavin Jackson.
30:28And, of course, most importantly, I also want to bring back our candidates, South Carolina Senator Darlene Graham and South
30:33Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman.
30:35Thank you both for agreeing to take our questions tonight.
30:38Senator Graham, to you.
30:39We left at the first break talking about Israel.
30:43Anti-Semitism in this country seems to be growing, at least in my opinion, unbelievably.
30:49Is there, you know, what, as a U.S. senator, should you get reelected?
30:54Can you do to help resolve that issue that's growing?
30:57Well, as I was saying, you know, to me, Israel is one of our strongest allies.
31:02We have to stand with Israel.
31:04Lindsey had a great relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
31:08I met with his wife and him personally a few weeks ago, and he was so appreciative of the relationship
31:15they had.
31:16One promise I made to the Prime Minister, I'm going to continue supporting Israel any way I can, because they
31:24are such a strong ally of ours.
31:26And we have to fight against Iran.
31:29Like I've said before, they cannot have a nuclear weapon.
31:33So I will stand with Israel.
31:36Congressman, the same question to you.
31:38Anti-Semitism, at least in my opinion, is growing in this country.
31:40What can the Senate do to try to stand this?
31:43Well, you've got to address anti-Semitism.
31:44I mean, you've got to stop, not permit that on college campuses and other places.
31:49It's wrong.
31:52Yeah, Israel is a friend of ours, and we have to maintain that friendship and support them.
31:56And that's why we have to get our debt under control, our spending under control, and major in the major
32:04things.
32:05And remaining a friend with Israel is a major thing that America needs to focus on and follow through with
32:13it.
32:14All right, turn to China.
32:15Gavin, you have a question about farmland in China.
32:19Congressman, more than 40 million acres of farmland in the United States is owned by foreign entities, according to the
32:24Department of Agriculture.
32:26Chinese investments amount to less than 1%.
32:29What does Congress need to do to restrict our adversaries from owning American land and our resources?
32:35What South Carolina needs to do is find the land that's owned by China,
32:40and they either get it back or make it so hard so they can't develop it.
32:44You don't put up with that.
32:45They bought land in Columbia that is near our military institutions.
32:50You stop that.
32:51Same thing on the Confucius Institute where they had colleges were letting Chinese students come in under the guise of
32:59majoring in one major
33:01and then switching to get our secrets.
33:03They sent the brightest and the sharpest over here.
33:06You've got to stop that.
33:08I called them out.
33:09Guess what two were guilty of it?
33:11U.S., Carolina, and Presbyterian College, my alma mater.
33:14I called them out.
33:15Guess who called me?
33:16The lobbyists.
33:17We're making all this money.
33:18I said, yeah, but you're giving the country away.
33:20And they changed it, but we have to be aware of that and stop it
33:24and not let them form these LLCs where they buy it and then move forward.
33:29And I'll tell you, TikTok, you hadn't heard it yet, but TikTok is still controlled by China.
33:34We would never be able to have a TikTok into China as they're into our country.
33:38Time.
33:40Senator Graham.
33:41I think China is destroying our businesses.
33:45So President Trump has been the strongest president we've had against China.
33:51It's kind of scary.
33:52They have bought up too much farmland.
33:54The military base he's talking about is Shaw Air Force Base.
33:58They bought farmland right next to Shaw.
34:00They're interfering with our food supply chain.
34:03That's a national security threat.
34:05AI, and they're becoming leaders in the AI industry.
34:09This is dangerous for our children interfering with AI and businesses.
34:14There have been instances where her children are committing suicide because of AI.
34:20So we cannot let China win.
34:22We have to continue to fight against China.
34:25Now, I would support a federal ban to prevent them from buying farmland because we cannot let China win.
34:36Ben, your China question.
34:37Senator Graham, staying on the same issue, Senator, one of your colleagues, Senator Jim Banks,
34:41recently has sounded the alarm on the threat of communist Chinese nationals working in our AI labs here in America.
34:47And currently there's a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that he put in requiring American companies,
34:53AI companies doing business with the Pentagon, to report insider threats and some of the security breaches.
34:59My question is, do you support Senator Banks' effort to safeguard against communist Chinese infiltration in domestic AI labs,
35:07and would you ban communist Chinese nationals from working in our AI labs here in America?
35:13Yes, it scares me.
35:15Like I said, China leading AI is a scary situation.
35:20So I would work, I would support any federal ban to prevent them from buying farmland.
35:26I would support a ban against them taking over labs, data centers, AI labs.
35:33Again, I can't say it enough.
35:35We cannot let China win the war when it comes to taking over our businesses, buying our farmland, winning in
35:44AI.
35:45It's very dangerous.
35:46It's a national security threat.
35:48So I would support any type of bans against China.
35:51Congressman Goldman?
35:52Yeah, of course.
35:54Yeah, you would naturally do that.
35:55But you have to go further than that.
35:57Like the balloons that flew over this country for as long as they did, and when we went in the
36:04skiff to find out what the Biden administration and the generals knew, they denied it.
36:08As a body, we should have screamed about it and stopped them from doing things like that.
36:15But it's all being aggressive and letting the American people know that we're representing them.
36:20Yes, we're not going to let China in.
36:22Yes, we will go to the military and the ones that really have the intel and take the steps to
36:28stop it.
36:29It's not going to happen by itself.
36:30They're aggressive.
36:31They play the long game.
36:32And it's not easy to do, but we as senators and House members have got to force the issue because
36:42there's so many, they fight you on so many different fronts.
36:45Senator Graham, in light of the fact that key chemical components that make generic drugs, life-saving drugs for people
36:54in America come from China,
36:56what should we do to protect our supply of drugs because we are so dependent on these components from China?
37:05I think we need to bring back all manufacturing to the United States.
37:13The fact that they manufacture our medical supplies or drugs, again, is a very scary situation.
37:21We cannot let them manufacture our drugs.
37:25Whether it's AI or drugs, they are destroying America.
37:30They're destroying our American companies.
37:33Again, President Trump has been the strongest president against China.
37:37So we have to continue.
37:39It's a battle against China.
37:42Congressman?
37:43Yeah, I mean, we bring back manufacturing.
37:46We have to have the environment in the United States that incentivizes companies to come back here, which we're doing.
37:52President Trump has done a good job on that.
37:54The tariffs had to be in place with China.
37:56You've got to have reciprocal trade and fair trade.
37:59It wasn't that way under the Biden administration.
38:02It wasn't that way under the Biden administration.
38:04But you use everything you can to make sure that the Americans are producing what we can make.
38:11China depends on our cancer drugs.
38:13In many cases, we make here.
38:15But we've got to use our leverage with them.
38:17And they don't do anything voluntarily.
38:19You've got to make it, and you've got to be smart enough to do it.
38:21All right.
38:22Artificial intelligence has been brought up, so we're going to turn to artificial intelligence.
38:26Gavin, you have the first question on whether to regulate or not.
38:28Yeah, that goes to Congressman Ralph Norman talking about AI.
38:31There are currently no regulations on AI.
38:34It's truly the Wild West.
38:35Is AI too powerful to be left to companies to regulate at this time?
38:39Absolutely it's too powerful.
38:41Anybody who has grandchildren, what you see on TV and the dangers that it has when they can make images
38:48exactly and imitate your voice.
38:50Now, it's going to be tough to do because, you know, the Internet is unregulated anyway for the most part,
38:56and government hasn't been able to do it.
38:58It doesn't mean you stop trying.
39:00But, yeah, you try to regulate what you can and find out what you can so that it's used in
39:06a good way instead of hurting American children and Americans in general.
39:12Senator Graham, regulating AI?
39:15AI is definitely out of control.
39:17There have been so many nightmare stories and situations.
39:21There have been situations to where AI has gotten out of control and hacked into businesses and taking over accounts
39:29and systems.
39:31This is very concerning.
39:33AI is growing smarter and smarter.
39:36So there has to be some federal bans put on this.
39:40We have to step in and get control of AI.
39:43It's against China, but, I mean, AI itself is becoming smarter.
39:48So I'm very concerned.
39:49It's a scary situation.
39:52I'm personally very scared of AI.
39:55Van, you have a question on artificial intelligence?
39:58Yes.
39:58Senator Graham, multiple South Carolina counties, Colleton, Newberry, Greenwood, and others,
40:03have passed or are advancing moratoriums on AI data centers because of concerns about the power grid, awarding ratepayer bills,
40:12and so forth.
40:12President Trump and his administration, however, views AI data centers as a top national security priority in the AI race
40:20versus China.
40:21As a senator, where would you come out on this, and how do you balance the state and the federal
40:26interest?
40:27Well, we were just talking about how dangerous AI is, how China is leading in this.
40:33So we can't let China beat us in this AI battle.
40:37That's a national security issue.
40:39It becomes very concerning to me.
40:43So when it comes to data centers, I think it needs to be heavily involved by the communities.
40:48There needs to be guardrails in place, regulations in place.
40:52But, again, we have to have data centers because we can't let China win in this AI battle.
41:00But the way to do it is to put guidelines on these companies to where they have to build their
41:06own water and power supplies
41:09or either subsidize utilities so that the rates decrease, not increase.
41:14So, again, it's more about community involvement.
41:16It's about having a transparent framework in place to protect the environment.
41:22So it's putting the guidelines and guardrails in place for communities, and they should decide.
41:28Congressman Norman.
41:29Yeah, but you changed your position because you originally said you were for just data centers in general.
41:34That's what you said.
41:37Here's where I stand on this.
41:39I believe in the Tenth Amendment states' rights.
41:41I think that for that data center that's being built where it causes diminishing value of homes around it,
41:49the community does going to have, is going to have to take ownership and use what they can
41:55and find out what's the water usage do for their community, what is the electricity needs.
41:59The big thing I will do is not let the politicians in local communities or advocate for them not to
42:05give the farm away
42:06and not to have incentives for these data companies.
42:09Let them pay their own way.
42:10And if it has a return on investment for them, but it's got to have a return on investment for
42:15the community.
42:15And they've had a free ride.
42:17So I will call attention to it, and I will do whatever it takes to educate the public on what's
42:24going on.
42:25Senator, do you want to respond to the comment he made about you?
42:28Yes, I do.
42:29Obviously, I just said I'm for data centers, but I also said that there needs to be community involvement,
42:36community guidelines, community guardrails.
42:39Maybe you didn't hear that part.
42:40But what about Silphab, that you negotiated a deal in your backyard where a company that mixes chemicals
42:49was built near several schools, and I believe one school has been shut down
42:54because there was a leakage into the groundwater near the school.
43:01Silly season again.
43:03Silly season again.
43:05This was a company that took over a vacant building.
43:07The school was already in process.
43:09Henry McMaster and his group gave them money.
43:11They approved it.
43:12So that's just not true.
43:13All that stuff that was put out was not true.
43:15But it's something that is not an issue now.
43:19Those communities did the right thing to sue them.
43:21It'll end up in the courts.
43:22It's actually more of a zoning issue that they are operating a business that maybe didn't fit the zoning.
43:28I'm not on the county council.
43:30I'm not on the city council.
43:31I didn't approve any funding that they got.
43:34Senator, can I rebut that?
43:36Do I get a rebuttal to that?
43:38Okay.
43:39Well, okay.
43:40Let's say that you didn't negotiate the deal.
43:43It was up to the county council.
43:44I don't necessarily believe that.
43:46But you did take money from the lobbyist for SILFAB, thousands of dollars from SEIA.
43:54That's a lobbying group for SILFAB.
43:57SILFAB.
43:59There again, a silly season again.
44:01The lobbying group, SILFAB was one out of, they had hundreds of clients.
44:08Solar panels I've investigated because I'd rather get it from the sun than I had from buying it from one
44:14of the companies.
44:14So, again, that's misinterpretation.
44:17It's, I don't know.
44:19All right.
44:19Let's move on.
44:20Let me ask a question.
44:21Senator, I'll go to you.
44:22It's sort of an extension of the AI question and also the economy.
44:25AI has been incredibly helpful in many areas like medicine and so many others.
44:29But at the same time that it's destroying jobs, and although it creates jobs, it does not appear that it's
44:36creating jobs outpacing the number of jobs it destroys.
44:39So, what is the role, if any, of the U.S. Senate in this issue?
44:43I've been in workforce development pretty much my entire career.
44:47So, when it comes to job development, that's one of the things that I'm most interested in.
44:53I'm not sure about the connection to workforce development when it comes to AI.
44:57But one of the things I did when I ran the state agency for seven years, like I mentioned, to
45:01help people who are blind or low vision go to work,
45:04our successful employment rates increased dramatically while I was there.
45:09And I think we need to bring our jobs back to the United States.
45:12Under President Trump and the big, beautiful bill, he's created, he's expanded the Pell Grants into in-demand jobs and
45:20HVAC, heating and air, and electricians.
45:24So, I think that's one way to grow our workforce, is more programs like that.
45:30And again, I don't believe my opponent supported the big, beautiful bill, despite what he said.
45:36Congressman, your response, you get to answer that same question anyway, but we'll give you a little extra time to
45:41respond.
45:41I voted for the big, beautiful bill.
45:43I made it better in December.
45:48Look, the way you have quality growth in South Carolina, and we'll have a, we've got a lot of people
45:54moving in, you empower the tech schools.
45:56People don't, the young people don't realize the opportunities there for that carpenter, that electrician, that person that uses his
46:06hands.
46:06You also have to go to the businesses and cut regulations, along with taxes, and make sure that we're, we're,
46:14we're empowering the backbone of, of South Carolina, which is small business.
46:18And I will do that, because I've been, I've owned a business, unlike my opponent, I've owned a business, I've
46:23signed a front and back of a paycheck, and I know some of the issues that businesses have.
46:28But you have to go to them and reach out, and I will do that when I become senator, and
46:32every part of this state we'll go to and get opinions from people who have been successful, and who need
46:37help on cutting regulations and other things.
46:41Can I, can I rebut, he mentioned me.
46:44So, I know that you own your own business, but your workforce apparently has, you've hired illegal immigrants to, instead
46:53of taking advantage of the technical college schools,
46:56where the Pell Grant programs are actually working.
47:01Democrat talking line, years ago, look, I've supported, you know, illegal, I've, I've stopped and voted for everything the president
47:10has done to stop illegal immigration.
47:12I don't hire illegal immigrants, and it's just a false, false, falsehood that you're trying to say that's not true.
47:20We're moving on to, and might as well move on to immigration, since you both raised that question.
47:24Gavin, you want to talk first about the pathway to citizenship.
47:28Yeah, Congressman, let's start with you and talk about this.
47:30Do you support the rights of those, and I've asked you this question somewhat before in a previous debate,
47:34but do you support the rights of those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, DACA,
47:39also migrants with valid visa status, green card holders, asylum seekers, naturalized citizens,
47:44and others who are legally going through the citizenship process.
47:48Do you believe in a pathway to citizenship for those folks?
47:52Here's what I believe in, legal immigration, not illegal immigration.
47:56The president has got, you know, we have to have a pathway, but you have to get the illegals out
48:05of the country now.
48:06You're either legal or you're not, and you get them out of the country.
48:09And then you have an expedited area for those workers who have been here and have not caused trouble and
48:17provide work for different companies.
48:20You have an organized way to do it.
48:23But this president had his hands full with trying to unwind four years of everybody in this universe coming into
48:32America.
48:32And the Democrats did it because they wanted a power base, and it didn't work, and the president's taking actions
48:38to do it.
48:39So it's got to be legal immigration, not illegal.
48:42Senator, to you, talk about these folks that do have status.
48:47How's that pathway look to you?
48:48Yeah, and this is where I differ a little bit.
48:51People have asked me how I differ from my brother.
48:53I differ from my brother.
48:55It's real clear to me.
48:57If you're here illegally, you need to be deported immediately.
49:03So, yeah, that's a clear one for me.
49:07But I think President Trump has done a great job protecting our borders.
49:12And, again, I'll support deporting any illegal immigrants.
49:18One thing I did vote for was the Save America Act.
49:22I co-sponsored the Save America Act.
49:25That's the first bill I co-sponsored because I think if you need to have an ID to check out
49:30a library book, you certainly need one to vote.
49:32I'm worried about our elections and people voting.
49:36There were 6,600 noncitizens that registered to vote in New Jersey, and several hundred of them voted.
49:44So we have to get the Save America Act passed.
49:48I'll end the filibuster to get it passed.
49:51I even voted to stay in recess.
49:54Time has passed.
49:56I'm sorry, Senator.
49:57I'll turn to Van for your question.
49:59Yeah.
50:00Senator Graham.
50:00The Supreme Court recently rejected President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship.
50:07Do you agree with the court's decision?
50:08And if a future Supreme Court nominee took the position of this court, meaning that they believe that the 14th
50:14Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship under this court's interpretation, would you vote to confirm that nominee?
50:21I am definitely against birthright citizenship.
50:25We have women coming to this country, staying in hotels to have children, just for them to be citizens and
50:33for them to be able to stay here and take care of the children.
50:36I'm definitely against birthright citizenship, and I will vote any way possible to prevent it from happening.
50:45Congressman Norman.
50:47Absolutely.
50:48Birthright citizenship is wrong.
50:50They're advertising signs in Mexico, pay $4,000 or maybe more to have a baby in America.
50:56That's flat-out wrong.
50:58And I would use a litmus test for a judicial candidate.
51:01And Lindsey did a good job on Kavanaugh, and he was a conservative judge who ended up to be a
51:07conservative judge, unlike Amy Comey Barrett, which switched colors.
51:13Senator, two-part question.
51:15Is our immigration system broken, and if two, are you committed to an overhaul of the system legislatively top to
51:22bottom so we have some sort of certainty?
51:24Well, I mean, again, I think President Trump has done a great job protecting our borders.
51:29The Democrats are the ones I worry about, especially the Socialist Democrats.
51:33They just don't want to even have any borders.
51:36I just mentioned birthright citizenship.
51:38I'm definitely against that.
51:40I made it clear that anybody who's here illegally needs to be deported immediately.
51:46But, yeah, I think President Trump, again, has done a great job and improved.
51:50He's strengthened our borders, and I think he's done a great job.
51:54Congressman, sir.
51:55Yes, he has, and it's interesting that my opponent mentions Democrats.
52:01The ones that are funding her campaign are the Democrat PACs.
52:05The $2 million, that's ... And you can bring them up, but the Main Street, Washington, I'm not their favorite
52:15... I'm not their candidate.
52:16You are.
52:17The money they're putting in this race ought to be alarming for every American.
52:22Every ad that you see trying to tear me down is paid for by a Democrat donor who's put up
52:27...
52:27One guy, one billionaire put up a million ... I got $2 million going against me this next week.
52:34I gladly take that.
52:35But it's coming from Democrats who are supporting her candidacy for some reason.
52:39It's very alarming.
52:41Senator.
52:42Yes.
52:43Absolutely.
52:44I got several points there.
52:46Well, first of all, if we're talking about a Democrat contributing ...
52:49There was a Democrat that you contributed to in Charleston that was running for an office, so there's that.
52:56And also, you've received millions of dollars in PAC money.
53:00I think you started a PAC ad today, so that's the pot calling the kettle black.
53:07Look, let me tell you.
53:08The money that the PAC, the difference, mine ... I take zero money for Democrat PACs.
53:15Bernie Sanders PAC, the PAC that supported Kamala Harris, is putting the $2 million in your campaign.
53:22You know where my money's coming from?
53:23South Carolina.
53:27It's between my money and South Carolina money.
53:32It's not the Democrat party who sees something in you that they like.
53:37They do not like me.
53:38And I will ... It ought to be alarming.
53:41Every ad you see is paid for by Democrat PAC money.
53:45None of my PACs are like that.
53:46Senator, you have 30 seconds, and then we're going to end this discussion.
53:49I'm not sure what Democratic PAC he's talking about.
53:52I haven't even seen the ads.
53:54So I don't know what you're talking about.
53:56But I do know that you gave to a Democratic candidate in Charleston.
54:00So I know that much.
54:02And again, you've received millions of dollars in PAC ads, PAC money as well.
54:07And in addition, you know, you have millions of dollars of your own money.
54:13I'm a working person.
54:14I don't have millions.
54:16And I'm sorry.
54:16I've got to call time because it is now ... I'm sorry.
54:19To both of you ... No, we have to do closing statements.
54:22You can do that.
54:23You each have 90 seconds to respond to that.
54:28Congressman Ralph Norman, we're going to begin with you for 90 seconds.
54:31First of all, it's a privilege being here.
54:33I wish we had another debate like this.
54:35We had one tomorrow.
54:36You canceled it.
54:36You didn't want to come.
54:37All that to say is ... All that to say is that, you know, we're at a turning point in
54:44America.
54:45We're at a turning point where the Democrat socialists are taking it over.
54:49We've got to stop it.
54:50Again, I mentioned the fact where her money is coming from.
54:53The main street, Washington, is with her.
54:55They're not with me, nor do I warn them.
54:57I've never been subservient to anything in Washington.
55:01Washington is broken.
55:03Look, I will use whatever I can to break the filibuster.
55:07I will make sure that the Senate wakes up and votes on the SAVE Act.
55:13But other than that, we're going to call them out for what they're doing to this country.
55:17Faith, family, and freedom are what the Democrats are against.
55:21The people supporting you are against that, and we have to stop that.
55:24I will recruit more solid business people to run, and I'll recruit South Carolina first.
55:39Senator Darlene Graham, your closing remarks, please.
55:45Yes.
55:47First of all, I'd rather be out in South Carolina meeting the voters than here on this stage with you.
55:52But the fact is, I've done more in 20 days than you have done in 20 years.
56:01I did a lot of research to try to find out exactly what you have done.
56:08You named a post office, so good job.
56:11That's all I can find out that you've done.
56:14And we have spent $1.7 million on your salary for the past 10 years, and you named a post
56:22office.
56:23So, yeah.
56:25I've done, again, more in 20 days.
56:27I've got the Russia sanctions bill passed.
56:30I've co-sponsored the SAVE America Act.
56:33I've co-signed seven anti-abortion bills.
56:36I was the deciding vote in President Trump's AG pick, Todd Blanche.
56:42So, again, more in 20 days than you have done in literally 20 years.
56:48And I think you're confused because I don't know if you want to be in South Carolina or Washington.
56:53Because you said you wanted to go to Washington to clean up the swamp.
56:56Then you wanted to come back to South Carolina to run for governor.
56:59Now you want to go back to Washington again to clean up the swamp.
57:03So, go out in if you want to do it.
57:10And with that, I thank both candidates.
57:13I'm sure you'll get a chance to speak to each other again and a chance to go out and campaign
57:18and talk to the voters.
57:20I want to thank South Carolina.
57:23They've been wonderful to us here since we've gotten here and the debates.
57:26The debates is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to meet candidates.
57:31Always, though, grossly incomplete to tell the whole picture.
57:34So, I regret we don't have more time.
57:36But I certainly appreciate, you know, the time you've given us.
57:39And I want to thank my panel here, Van, Gavin.
57:43And good luck one week from tonight.
57:46It's a big night.
57:47There you go.
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