U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-SC), who is running to keep her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat, campaigned this summer on getting her brother’s proposed Russian sanctions legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump, which he did on September 18.
[NOTE: The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 authorizes sanctions targeting Russia and those supporting its war against Ukraine, along with additional trade penalties. It also gives the president authority to waive those measures.]
After Trump eased restrictions on Russian diesel exports and then waived major provisions of the sanctions law named for her brother, Graham was questioned by members of the press.
Beyond pathetic
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 17, 2026
Asked for her reaction to Trump putting a pause on the sanctions, the senator said: “Well, the President and I share the same goal — to end the war and get gas and diesel prices down. And the sanctions bill is one of the tools he can use to do that. It’s up to him whether or not he chooses to use it. Personally, I would choose to keep pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down because I don’t trust [Putin] and I don’t trust Russia.”
When asked if she was frustrated that the bill Trump signed just one month ago is now being ignored, Graham said she is proud of “getting it across the finish line” and added, “but like Lindsey, who disagreed with the president sometimes, they had that relationship, where they could agree to disagree sometimes and I think that just happens.”
Graham added of the president, “I look forward to talking to him next week when he’s gonna be in the state, so we’ll probably sit down and, you know, we’ll talk about this.”
Many Trump critics are slamming Graham for not fighting harder to protect the sanctions, leading some to express doubt over Graham’s independence when she holds a view that conflicts with that of Trump. The influential X account Republicans Against Trump responded to Graham’s comments, writing, “Beyond pathetic.”
Several accounts responded with a quote from the GOP primary debate in August when Graham admitted, “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise.” Yet, with Trump’s endorsement, she beat veteran U.S. Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) for the party’s nomination.
Q: Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the US?
Darline Graham: I’m not that informed on national security, so… National security is not my thing https://t.co/R3aX7IoeGD
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 19, 2026
In the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Norman publicly argued that the Biden administration’s early sanctions were “far, FAR from crippling.”
In September 2026, Norman was one of seven Republicans to vote against the Lindsey Graham Sanctions Act, with Democratic leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who said he voted against the sanctions bill because it “gives extraordinary power to Donald Trump.”
Jeffries added, “It allows him to waive the sanctions contained in the bill, while giving him new, expansive tariff authority to continue his failed global trade war that is causing costs to skyrocket for working families across America.”
The Minority Leader said: “Sadly, the White House is willing to risk Ukrainian lives and American livelihoods instead of working to actually hold this rogue Russian regime accountable for its illegal war.”