Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), previously one of Donald Trump's fiercest critics among incumbent Republican lawmakers, on Monday praised the president's tenure in the White House, saying that he is "doing a really good job."
Graham, who ran against Trump during the 2016 GOP primary, said on ABC's "The View" that, while he has opposed some of Trump's rhetoric and actions, Americans must accept that he was elected president.
"He beat me like a drum. He ran against 17 Republicans and crushed us all," Graham said of Trump. "He ran against the Clinton machine and won."
"You can say anything you want to say about the guy. I said he was a xenophobic, race-baiting religious bigot—I ran out of things to say," Graham continued. "He won. Guess what: he's our president."
When asked whether he still feels the same way about Trump, Graham clarified that he called him "a xenophobic, race-baiting religious bigot" during the campaign but does not believe he has been that as president.
"Is he still all of those things," guest Ana Navarro asked Graham.
"In my view, he is my president, and he's doing a really good job on multiple fronts," Graham responded.
During the 2016 presidential race, Graham repeatedly castigated Trump, even calling for Trump to be expelled from the Republican Party and refusing to vote for him in the general election. Trump reciprocated by releasing Graham's personal cell phone number during a televised rally in the senator's home state.
I also cannot in good conscience support Donald Trump because I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative....(4)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 6, 2016
Yet the two have appeared to smooth over their relationship after Trump entered the White House, golfing together multiple times last year.
https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/939988068823715842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffreebeacon.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D922399%26action%3Dedit
Still, Graham took a dig at Trump for claiming on Twitter that he is a "very stable genius."
"If he doesn't call himself a genius nobody else will," Graham said.