'He loves blowing stuff up': Lindsey Graham recounts Trump's Iran war mindset in new footage

WASHINGTON, DC: Late Senator Lindsey Graham privately described Donald Trump as being "jacked" at the start of the Iran war and claimed the president "loves blowing stuff up" in newly reported documentary footage.

The candid remarks offer a behind-the-scenes look at how Graham portrayed Trump's wartime mindset away from public view.

They also reveal the late senator's frustration with members of the administration whom he believed were not doing enough to publicly defend the conflict.

Lindsey Graham's private remarks about Trump

According to a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday, July 26, Graham gave British filmmaker Alex Holder access to him for more than three years before his death last month, capturing unusually candid conversations about Trump's second-term foreign policy.

Recalling a conversation with the president in February at the start of the Iran war, Graham told the film crew, "I talked to Trump this morning, he's jacked."

He added that Trump had said it was the "best thing I have ever done" before remarking, "He loves blowing stuff up."

Graham also expressed disappointment that he believed the administration was not making a stronger public case for the war.

"Very few people are out selling this war from the administration," Graham said. "I'm shocked."

The senator also voiced doubts about efforts to negotiate with Iran, saying Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were "just too conflicted" to lead talks.

"It's gotta be Rubio," Graham said, arguing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the right person for the job.

Documentary reveals unprecedented access to Graham

Never-before-seen footage released Sunday also shows Graham describing his own efforts to push for military action.

Speaking about the president's handling of the conflict, Graham added, "He hasn't tweeted much at all. No drama. He's been a great wartime president."

He went even further by comparing Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to two World War II leaders, saying, "I said last night that Trump and Bibi are like Roosevelt and Churchill."

Holder, who filmed more than 400 hours with Graham over several years, told CNN the project offered "really unparalleled access" to one of America's most influential politicians.

"It was pretty remarkable, and we had this four-and-a-half-year period of just the most, really unparalleled access, to one of the most consequential politicians in the United States," Holder said.

More footage still to come

The documentary also captures Graham speaking with Netanyahu, Trump, and former Democratic national security adviser Jake Sullivan as he encouraged further military action.

Some of Graham's early predictions about the conflict, however, proved inaccurate.

During a March call with Sullivan, he predicted, "In three to four weeks, we should have them in a spot where they start losing control of some cities ... get the Arabs more openly involved tomorrow, or by the end of the week, and then have almost irreversible momentum."

Holder said the documentary, titled 'Lindsey's Game', will be released in the coming months and teased additional footage exploring Graham's often complicated relationship with Trump, saying, "That, you'll have to stay tuned for."