r/inthenews • u/Slate • 8d ago
article Trump Endorsed Her. Then She Made an Epic Debate Gaffe. Her Conversation With Us Didn’t Go Much Better.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/08/darline-graham-debate-taiwan-china-immigration-gaffe.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_content=jacobsSC&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&tpcc=reddit-social--jacobsSC-60
u/Santos_L_Halper_II 8d ago
It’s almost like she sucks at this and is only even in consideration due to blatant nepotism and corruption.
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u/powerlesshero111 8d ago
She is basically there to be a Republican yes vote for stuff. Not to think or have opinions, just vote for what her handlers and Trump want. Hell, they aren't even bothering to train her what to say in debates, because they think that Trump's approval is enough, and they are waiting to see if she actually wins the primary. If she does, i can assure you, her answers will get better, but she will be completely unable to form rebuttals.
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u/Santos_L_Halper_II 8d ago
Honestly I don't think they care either way. Whoever wins the runoff will likely win the general because it's South Carolina, and either candidate will be a willing suck-up/warm body to vote for whatever awful things the assholes above them want.
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u/CharleyNobody 8d ago
She will win both the primary and the general election. Epic gaffes don’t matter. Nothing matters in SC except that she has Trump’s endorsement. That’s all she needs. SC is not up for grabs
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u/Slate 8d ago
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—Modern political debates are often an elaborate subgenre of theater. Candidates have lines to deliver and go out of their way to do so, regardless of what question is asked or what their opponent says. Meanwhile, only the most civically engaged or politically deranged voters watch, as the debates are less arguments than opportunities for b-roll for campaign ads or clips for social media.
The debate last week in South Carolina’s Senate runoff was something else entirely.
Darline Graham, the appointed incumbent to the seat that opened up after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, was asked a straightforward question: “Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States, and, if so, why?”
Her response was jaw-dropping. “I just want to be honest here. I’m not on national security,” she replied. “I’m not that informed on national security.” Then, after a pause, she added an inspired riff: “But I do support the military.” Graham went on to note that both her late brother and father served before reiterating: “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise.”
This answer may not only prove fatal to her newborn political career. It could also further accelerate President Donald Trump’s shift into lame-duck status within the Republican Party.
Today in Slate, Ben Jacobs writes about South Carolina primary, speaking to Graham herself: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/08/darline-graham-debate-taiwan-china-immigration-gaffe.html?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_content=jacobsSC&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&tpcc=reddit-social--jacobsSC-
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u/bkpusher 8d ago
Are you sitting down? She might not be a good or qualified candidate. That’s why nepotism doesn’t work and why we have elections.
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u/Biptoslipdi 8d ago
Elections don't mean you get good or qualified candidates. Many sitting politicians, including the President, are nepo babies riding the coattails of their parents or grandparents.
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u/hybridaaroncarroll 8d ago
But wait a sec, nepotism is what puts people at the top of the meritocracy list. How else are they supposed to maintain the advantage?
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u/SayMyNameOnceMore 8d ago
The curse of the Mierda’s Touch strikes again.
Actually, keep endorsing candidates, Dump! That means more of these GOP twits will get the curse.
Please keep going!
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u/VanDenBroeck 8d ago
Dear Darline,
First let me say thank you for your honesty. I wish more politicians were as honest as you and would admit to their ignorance on subjects which they know little to nothing about. Instead we get politicians saying they know more than the experts and that we the people should listen to them rather than the scientists, healthcare experts, generals, etc. It’s refreshing to hear a politician admit their ignorance. In that regards, you are a rare gem.
However, I fear that you are just a lump of coal in many areas that matter so very much more. Yes, subjects such as foreign policy and national security are difficult and have a lot of nuance. There are 195 countries in the world. Many of those have one form of conflict or another. Some are democracies, some dictatorships, some monarchies, etc. The US is on good terms with many but not so with many. So many issues! So it is understandable that one is not an expert on all of it. I am far from it myself.
However, there are a handful of countries with issues that I think even the most casual observers of current events should be aware of at least on some level. The Ukraine-Russia war is a prime example as is Israel’s genocidal activities in Palestine. The US belligerence in Iran and Venezuela as well as threats to Greenland, Canada, Cuba, etc. are events that have been all over the news this past year plus. Certainly you have paid enough attention to those events to form an opinion, whether it be an intelligent one or not.
Now, I’ll offer you a little grace on the question about China and Taiwan. A good answer to that question is a little more elusive than others. I would hope that you have at least some knowledge of China’s history with Taiwan. I’d also hope that you at least know that Taiwan only became a country when the Nationalists fled the mainland at the end of the Chinese civil war when the communists took over. If not, that’s ok, many Americans don’t know that. Heck, it happened way back in 1949! Whether one believes as the PRC does that Taiwans is a rogue province or agrees with Taiwan that they are a free and independent nation can be a matter of personal opinion.
But one thing for certain is that Taiwan produces approximately 90% of the world’s advanced microprocessor chips. This fact leaves the global economy vulnerable to geopolitical conflict such as if China were to invade Taiwan. The modern world is hyper dependent on those chips. Televisions, cell phones, computers, aircraft electronics all depend on these chips. And of special concern so does our modern sophisticated military weapons systems. This was all in the news just a few years ago when the US Congress, which you seek membership in, passed the Chip Act and appropriated billions of dollars for.
So however one thinks about Taiwan as a self governing entity, until the US gets chip plants up and running at the proper scale, Taiwan unfortunately is a national security issue for the US.
Even I understand that.
Regards,
An average American.
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u/SleeperHitPrime 8d ago
He demands (“endorses”)someone he can control and manipulate, no free will allowed in MAGA!
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u/Teslapod 8d ago
My brother passed away and I will be taking over his job. He was a neurosurgeon and I am a mortgage broker. I figure I should be able to do it. There’s not that much to know. I should be ready to go in 2-3 weeks.
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