Fact Check: Did Eric Trump call Lindsey Graham's sister an 'unqualified nepotism hire'?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the debates and controversies following the appointment of Darline Graham (R-SC) as the South Carolina Senator following the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, a post on social media claimed that Eric Trump called her an ‘unqualified idiot’ who got the job through ‘nepotism.’ The claim has sparked questions about its authenticity, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Eric Trump called Darline Graham an ‘unqualified idiot’
According to a viral post on Facebook, President Donald Trump’s son called the newly appointed Senator “an unqualified idiot who only got the job through nepotism.”
While most of the comments under the post appeared to agree with Eric Trump, some of them have accused President Trump’s son of hypocrisy, with many highlighting that he himself is a product of nepotism.
The claim surfaced as Graham stirred a row on Wednesday, August 19, after acknowledging that national security is not her area of expertise during a South Carolina Republican Senate runoff debate.
The claim has also spread on X and has been amplified by several accounts, garnering hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing.
Fact Check: Eric Trump never made such a remark
However, there are no credible reports that prove Eric Trump called Lindsey Graham’s sister an unqualified idiot.
There are no recent interviews, press conferences, statements, or social media posts by Eric where he made the alleged remark.
If the claim were true, prominent news outlets would have widely covered it, but a Google search for the claim returned no such media reports.
Moreover, the claim was posted by a parody Facebook account called ‘Andy Borowitz’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘comedian’ and has posted several such satirical posts for the sake of engagement.
Lindsey Graham's sister appointed to finish his Senate term
Darline was appointed as Senator to finish her brother’s Senate term, which ends in January, by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
"Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now," McMaster said in a press conference following Graham’s death last month.
"Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him," she said, calling it a "privilege to get to finish some of his important work."
"I recommended to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham's wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!"
