Trump Hits Back at Defeated GOP Congressman Who Swiped Him for Backing Darline Graham: ‘Ruined His Career’

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

President Donald Trump took aim at Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) on Wednesday, declaring the congressman “ruined his career” by endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) over him in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Norman lost to Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) in the state’s Tuesday Republican Senate runoff. Graham had Trump’s full backing, with the president speaking at her Myrtle Beach rally on Friday and MAGA Inc., a super PAC run by his advisers, pouring nearly $800,000 into her campaign.

During his concession speech Tuesday night, Norman referenced the president’s endorsement of Graham. At the mention of Trump’s name, some in the audience began booing, leading Norman to insist, “Well, y’all, his policies are good,” before admitting, “I never understood why he got in this race.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday, seemingly in response to Norman’s Tuesday comments, “Ralph Norman had the look of a good Congressman (Not great, but good), but ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley.”

Appearing on-air just after Graham’s win was announced Tuesday evening, MS NOW political analyst Tim Miller also invoked Haley in his analysis on the matter, explaining, “Trump is petty, and Ralph Norman, despite being a big supporter of the insurrection and one of the organizers of the insurrection rally, actually, then ended up endorsing Nikki Haley, his home state former governor, and I think that this is just as simple as that, like it’s payback for Trump.”

Miller went on, though, “Darline Graham, on top of that, offers Trump really kind of his model senator, right? Somebody who just is a total empty vessel. They’ll just do whatever he wants. She doesn’t know anything about the issues. She doesn’t have any thoughts on her own.”

During the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Trump repeatedly called Haley “Birdbrain,” once going so far as to send a birdcage and bird food to her hotel room.

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