How Lindsey Graham got Trump to yes on Iran

The war launched Saturday is a full-circle moment for the veteran GOP senator, who spent decades pushing for military action against the Islamist regime.

Graham, seen Feb. 14 at the Munich Security Conference, urged Trump to own an Iran strike: "Mr. President, you want to have your fingerprints on this.” | Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images

Lindsey Graham’s effort to convince Donald Trump to attack Iran began — to the surprise of no one familiar with the relationship between the South Carolina senator and the president — on the golf course.

After the 2024 election, the pair hit the links to discuss a second-term agenda for the resurgent president, and Graham had lots of advice.

In an extensive interview Tuesday in his Capitol Hill office, Graham recalled pushing Trump to “blow some shit up” to combat drug trafficking. He talked about taking on Big Tech by challenging the legal underpinnings of their industry dominance. And he counseled Trump to build on agreements he’d brokered between Israel and U.S. allies in the Middle East.

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