Lindsey Graham isn’t the only conservative ripping Trump debate performance as a 'disaster'

During a highly contentious presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, September 10, Vice President Kamala Harris vigorously attacked former President Donald Trump on a wide range of issues — from abortion to foreign policy to healthcare.

Many pundits have been describing Harris as the debate's clear winner, including MSNBC's Joe Scarborough (a former GOP congressman), CNN's Chris Wallace (formerly of Fox News) and attorney George Conway. But some of Trump's supporters have been claiming that he was at a disadvantage during the debate because of the fact-checking that came from ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy claimed that Trump unfairly had to debate three people instead of one in Philly.

READ MORE: Liz Cheney predicts many Republicans will secretly vote for Kamala Harris

But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has acknowledged that the debate was a "disaster" for Trump.

The Bulwark's Tim Miller, a Never Trump conservative and former GOP strategist, encountered Graham in the post-debate spin room and recalled, "Getting red-faced, the senator lashed out at me, saying I should be 'ashamed' for opposing Trump…. Eventually, Graham offered a fist bump, leaned in, and with an exasperated grin gave me his candid assessment of the night: Trump's performance was a 'disaster,' Trump was unprepared, and his debate team should be fired."

The Daily Beast's Corbin Bolies notes that many Republicans have been echoing the talking point that Muir and Davis were unfair to Trump — including podcaster and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, who tweeted, "Must be so nice to have the moderators running cover for you as a candidate. Makes it so much easier. These moderators are a disgraceful failure and this is one of the most biased, unfair debates I have ever seen."

But former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told ABC News, "Whoever did debate prep for Donald Trump should be fired. He was not good tonight at all."