President Donald Trump continues to flounder in his attempt to not lose control of Congress during the 2026 midterm elections, as he loses support among his own voters and turns to debunked conspiracy theories and controversial maneuvers to stay in power.
Yet a candidate who he is personally pushing as the Republican nominee for the US Senate in South Carolina, Darline Graham, is floundering so badly that a former Army corporal warned on Wednesday she is dangerously unqualified to serve.
"The truly jarring moment came when Greta van Susteren (remember her?) asked Ms. Graham about the importance of Taiwan to the national security of the United States," former Army Corporal Charlotte Clymer wrote for her Substack.
After including a link to the video, she added “Ms. Graham asked her to repeat the question—which bought her about five seconds of stalling—and then hesitated and said, 'I’m just gonna be honest here. I’m not on national security—I’m not—I’m not that informed on national security. So… but I do support the military.' And that, my friends, may be the worst answer I’ve ever seen in any campaign debate."
Clymer argued that answering a question about Taiwan should be easy for any Republican Senate candidate, given that it is a straightforward issue.
“Taiwan isn’t that complicated as an issue,” Clymer said. “It’s a foreign policy softball question. It’s basically a gimme. In fact, it might be the easiest question a Senate candidate could get in a debate.”
She continued, “It’s certainly the most ‘bang for your buck’ issue to look like you know foreign policy when you don’t know anything about foreign policy.”
Clymer then said the “easy answer” is to say that “Taiwan is our ally on the front lines against the totalitarian overreach of China. They are central to global security. They are central to the global economy. They are central to our national security. We will never fail to stand beside this proud democracy and support the courageous people of Taiwan.”
Clymer’s brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), was widely known for being heavily involved in shaping foreign policy.
In addition to criticizing Graham’s foreign policy chops, Clymer also mocked her ignorance about basic details regarding the state she aims to represent in the Senate.
“During one of her responses, she claimed South Carolina has a population of 50 million people,” Clymer pointed out. “There are actually 5.6 million folks living there. California, our nation’s most populous state, has just under 40 million residents.”
She added, “There was no correction on her part. She seemed to truly believe South Carolina has a population equal to that of Spain or South Korea.”
