‘I Could Care Less’: Graham Finally Answers NBC’s Welker About Trump ‘Parroting Adolf Hitler’ With ‘Poisoning The Blood’ Rant

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wiggled for a bit under repeated questioning by NBC’s Kristen Welker before eventually relenting and answering that he “could care less” about the language used by Donald Trump at a rally over the weekend.

On the latest Meet the Press on NBC, Welker first played a clip of Trump’s Saturday comments that Democrats are “poisoning the blood of our country” with immigrants “pouring” in “from Africa, from Asia, all over the world.”

“The Biden campaign has accused former President Trump of quote ‘parroting Adolf Hitler,'” Welker said after the clip played. “What is your reaction? Are the President’s comments representative of how you and other Republicans feel?”

Graham began by answering that Americans who are not Trump also believe “the border is broken” and are worried about the dangers, and Welker interrupted to press him on the question she asked.

“But what about his language? Just that language that poisoning the blood?” she said.

After Graham again spoke broadly about the border, Welker tried a third time, asking: “Senator, just on the language, just on the language, though. You have endorsed Former President Trump. Are you comfortable with him using words like that?”

“You know, we’re talking about language? I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right,” Graham replied.

When Welker asked if Trump could “appeal to more people” if he “chose different words on that argument,” Graham said vaguely that Trump has “a way of talking sometimes I disagree with” but praised the ex-president’s immigration and border policies.

“If the only thing you want to talk about on immigration is the way Donald Trump talks, you’re missing a lot,” he tacked on.

Welker then asked him specifically if it’s the “position of the Republican Party that African and Asian immigrants are poisoning the blood of the people in this country?”

No,” he said. “It’s the position of the Republican Party that we’ve lost control of the border, that terrorists are coming, that there’s never been a higher threat to the United States from a terrorist attack from a broken border.”

In a different part of the interview, Welker pressed Graham about the Republican impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

WELKER: Before I let you go I do want to get your reaction to something that former President Trump said overnight. he was in New Hampshire. He was talking about the need to keep immigrants out of this country. Here’s what he said. I’ll get your response.

[START TAPE]
TRUMP: They’re poisoning the blood of our country. That’s what they’ve done. They’ve poisoned. Mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America, not just the three or four countries that we think about. But all over the world they’re coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world.
[END TAPE]

WELKER: The Biden campaign has accused former President Trump of quote “parroting Adolf Hitler.” What is your reaction are the President’s comments representative of how you and other Republicans feel?

GRAHAM: 76% of the American people, not Donald Trump, believe the border is broken. They’re worried about fentanyl coming over killing them.

WELKER: But what about his language? Just that language that poisoning the blood?

GRAHAM: Yeah, no I am worried about an outcome. He is right to what — he had the border secured the lowest in 40 years in December of 2022. The Biden administration, you’re talking about Donald Trump’s language, as you said on the sidelines and allowed the country to be invaded 172 people on the terrorist list have come on your watch fentanyl is filling more Americans —

WELKER: Senator.

GRAHAM: –than any time in history—

WELKER: Senator, just on the language, just on the language, though. You have endorsed Former President Trump. Are you comfortable with him using words like that?

GRAHAM: You know, we’re talking about language? I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right.

WELKER: Even if it’s—

GRAHAM: I believe in legal immigration. I have no animosity toward people trying to come to our country. I have animosity against terrorists and against drug dealers. But I understand why people want to come to America. But we have chaos, and we need to create order. If you think you’re going to win the debate on illegal immigrant by picking a line out of the Trump speech, more Americans understand the game has to change, that we’re under threat, that we’re going to get attacked, that our border has completely been obliterated. So, if you’re talking about the language Trump uses rather than trying to fix it, that’s a losing strategy for the Biden administration.

WELKER: Do you think he would appeal to more people, though, if he chose different words on that argument?

GRAHAM: You know, I think the president has a way of talking sometimes I disagree with. But he actually delivered on the border. People are looking for results. If the only thing you want to talk about on immigration is the way Donald Trump talks, you’re missing a lot.

WELKER: Just finally, is it the position of the Republican Party that African and Asian immigrants are poisoning the blood of the people in this country?

GRAHAM: No, it’s the position of the Republican Party that we’ve lost control of the border, that terrorists are coming, that there’s never been a higher threat to the United States from a terrorist attack from a broken border. But immigrants, people coming to America, we are many people coming to be one. We’ve lost control of our border. There are people coming here who are selling drugs. There are people coming here raping murdering. There are people coming here trying to have a better life. The terrorists are coming here to kill us. After October the 7th, how easy is it to get into our country through a broken border and kill a bunch of us? To my Democratic colleagues, you’re not going to get away with keeping this border broken. If you can’t commit to securing our border, we’re not going to have a deal.

Watch the clip above via NBC News.