Trump Candidate Darline Graham Faceplants In Senate Debate

Interesting china, darline graham, gop senate, greta van susteren, national security, south carolina, taiwan admin August 19, 2026 0 Comments

Trump Candidate Darline Graham Faceplants In Senate Debate

Republican interim South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham stumbled through a national security question Tuesday night during the state’s GOP Senate primary debate.

Darline Graham, who is running to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, faltered when Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren pressed her on China’s threat to Taiwan and the South China Sea. (RELATED: Will South Carolina Enter A Post-Graham Era?)

“Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? If so, why?” Van Susteren asked.

Graham struggled to provide a substantive answer, acknowledging that she was not well-versed on the issue.

“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security,” Graham said. “So … But I do support the military.”

Norman offered a more detailed response when Van Susteren posed the same question to him.

Norman has largely kept a low profile throughout the GOP special election, making his debate performance one of the more notable opportunities for voters to hear directly from him.

“Taiwan is a definite ally. You know, we have a trading relationship with them that’s beneficial to the United States, chips being one of them and others.” (RELATED: Darline Graham, Ralph Norman Advance To Runoff In Race For Lindsey Graham’s Senate Seat)

“So what the president is doing right is he is enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China. But it’s peace through strength that he is showing with Iran that China, Russia and others are looking at, so that they don’t want to deal with America. And that’s why they haven’t attacked Taiwan,” he said.

Norman went on to argue that China would take Taiwan if a “weak Democrat” were in the White House, pointing to former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama as examples. He said the U.S. “can’t let that happen,” adding that “peace through strength is working.”

Graham also misspoke during the debate when Van Susteren asked her about rising costs and the financial pressures facing Americans.

“Gas prices are record high. Americans are being pinched at the grocery store, living paycheck to paycheck, half of America. So what can you do in the Senate to alleviate that pain?” Van Susteren asked.

Graham responded by saying she understood the financial strain, but appeared to vastly overstate South Carolina’s population.

“Well, I know how that feels. There’s 50 million people here in South Carolina. Half of them live paycheck to paycheck,” Graham said. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham’s Sister, Interim Replacement Says She’s Running For Full Term)

Graham’s claim was quickly fact-checked by Norman’s X account, which pointed out that South Carolina’s population is approximately 5.6 million, not 50 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Norman and Darline Graham will face off in the Republican primary runoff Tuesday, Aug. 25, to determine the GOP nominee in South Carolina’s special Senate election.

Early voting is set to begin Wednesday.