Lindsey Graham: If Trump ‘Gives In’ on Wall, ‘Probably the End of His Presidency’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) predicted Wednesday evening that it will likely be “the end of [the Trump] presidency” if the president reaches an agreement with Democrats to end the government shutdown without funding for a southern border wall.

A partial transcript is as follows:

SEAN HANNITY: You offered a compromise [to end the shutdown]. Now, Democrats also say they care about the DACA kids. What is your compromise?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: The compromise is [to] give the president the $5 billion we need for walls [and] border security as a down payment to securing the border. The DACA population is about 700,000. Give them work permits, three-year work permits, so they don’t have to worry about getting deported anytime soon. The TPS people who came here years ago from war-torn areas, hurricanes, and floods, and renew their legal status — no pathway to citizenship — and call it a day. It’s called a compromise. The president said, “let’s make a deal.” The Democrat’s response is, basically, “got to hell.” They’re going to send a bill from the House to the Senate that has no money for the wall. It’s not going to see the light of day. Mitch McConnell is never going to bring a bill on to the floor of the Senate that doesn’t have money for the wall. We need the wall. They’ve all voted for the wall. And the only way we’re going to get the wall is to fight for it.

HANNITY: This is a battle, to me, worth having, and I know it’s inconvenient. By the way, I support all those furloughed employees. I don’t want them caught in a political crossfire. They deserve their back-pay. It’s through no fault of there own that they’re not viewed as essential services. But, does the president have other options for the wall?

…

SEN. GRAHAM:  You can move some money around, but he’ll get sued. There will be lawsuits in California to stop any effort to have other agencies fund the border, but there is some money you could use for sure. But, why should this president have to play that game? Why should Donald Trump have to do that, when Democratic presidents and Republican presidents in the past were able to get money to secure the border from Democrats?

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HANNITY: If this takes 150 days, I think the Republican Party needs to stand united with the president. I have confidence in you. I don’t have confidence in some of your colleagues, but saving lives, stopping drug trafficking, and human trafficking is worth the fight. Will the president hold the line?

SEN. GRAHAM: Let me tell you how our government works. Any bill passed in the House has to come from the Senate, has to get 60 votes, and for it to be signed into law, the president has to sign it. He’s not going to sign a bill that doesn’t have money for the wall… If he gives in now, that’s the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president. That’s the probably the end of his presidency. Donald Trump has made a promise to the American people. He’s going to secure our border.