Trump will be ‘shadow president’ - Lindsey Graham

Post Reply New Topic

Lindsey Graham predicts that Donald Trump's grip on politics will endure throughout Joe Biden's term in office, effectively making the defeated incumbent a "shadow president".

The South Carolina senator said Mr Trump's hold over the Republican Party and vast swathes of its electoral base could make it difficult for GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill to back legislation opposed by the outgoing president.

he could be a thorn in the side of lawmakers hoping to get business done on a bipartisan basis, according to Mr Graham, who believes Mr Trump is favourite for the GOP nomination for president in four years' time.

He has a lot of sway over the Republican Party," he told The Atlantic in an interview published earlier this week, while still not acknowledging Mr Biden's win.

"If he objects to anything Biden [does], it would be hard to get Republicans on board," Mr Graham went on.

He added: "If he blessed some kind of deal, it would be easier to get something done. In many ways, he’ll be a shadow president.”

The idea of a shadow leader, common in parliamentary systems such as the UK where the opposition party receives public money to set up an office to hold the government to account, is unheard of in the US.

With no office to support them, the defeated presidential candidate usually pursues other endeavours after leaving the White House.

But with a large war chest built up and an army of supporters behind him, Mr Trump may have other ideas.

“Grover Cleveland did it," Mr Graham added, referencing the Democratic president who lost out to Benjamin Harrison but won the next election.

Mr Trump running again is the "best thing for the party, frankly,” according to Mr Graham.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Mr Trump said that his campaign will join an improbable case before the US Supreme Court challenging election results in Pennsylvania and other states.