Remarks made by Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, on Sunday crediting former President Donald Trump for Ukraine aid funding has raised eyebrows on social media.
During an interview appearance on Fox News Sunday, Graham stated his approval for the House of Representatives approving more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russia’s invasion that began in February 2022. The bill designates approximately $10 billion of the Ukraine funding as repayable loans.
“There’s a loan component to it. This would not have passed without President Trump. I want to thank the House Speaker [Mike Johnson] and [Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries working together in a bipartisan fashion to give weapons to Ukraine to fight a fight that matters to us,” Graham said. “And President Trump has created a loan component to this package that gives us leverage down the road.”
Earlier this month, Johnson visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago where the former president expressed support for structuring some Ukraine aid as a loan.
“We’re looking at it right now, and they’re talking about it, and we’re thinking about making it in the form of a loan instead of just a gift,” Trump said during the media event with the House speaker. “We keep handing out gifts of billions and billions of dollars, and we’ll take a look at it.”
Earlier this year on the campaign trail and on his Truth Social social media platform, Trump advocated for loans as Ukraine’s primary form of foreign aid.
“They want to give like almost $100 billion to a few countries,” the former president said about the U.S. Senate at a February campaign event in South Carolina. “I said why do we do this? If you do, you give them not $100 billion, you give it to them as a loan.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters in February that he believes Trump would keep his previous promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if reelected. Last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Trump will not give money to help Ukraine fight Russia if he’s reelected after meeting with him.
“He will not give a penny into the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the war will end,” Orbán told state television at the time. “As it is obvious that Ukraine on its own cannot stand on its feet.”
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s office via email on Sunday afternoon.
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Meanwhile, Graham’s comments on Sunday drew immediate reactions on X, formerly Twitter.
The “Republicans against Trump” X account posted, “Lindsey Graham on the passage of Ukraine aid: This wouldn’t have passed without Donald Trump. WTF?”
Political analyst Sarah Reese Jones wrote on X, “Propaganda Alert: Lindsey Graham gives Trump credit for House passage of Ukraine aid, ‘Ukrainians are fighting like tigers. This aid package has a loan component to it and this would not have passed without Donald Trump.’ *Trump has promised to end all aid to Ukraine.”
Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and vocal Trump critic, posted, “Just embarrassing what these people have become. Not a shred of self-respect left.”
Newsweek has also reached out to Graham’s office via email Sunday afternoon. This story will be updated with any provided statements.
The loans included in the foreign aid bill offer approximately $7.9 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine and $1.57 billion in assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia. The legislation also “mandates agreement on repayment for economic support by the government of Ukraine.”
The text also that stipulates that the president can cancel up to 50 percent of the loan after November 15, 2024, with congressional review. After January 1, 2026, any remaining debt can also be canceled.
Some House GOP members are skeptical about the loans ever being repaid.
Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania called the loan all “smoke and mirrors” in a post on X on Wednesday. He also took aim at the president’s ability to cancel 50 percent of the loan by the end of this year.
“No bank would allow this,” he added.
Lawmakers also approved billions more in aid for other U.S. allies like Taiwan and Israel. The Senate will now vote on the package before it heads to President Joe Biden for sign-off.
Of four separate bills passed Saturday, the military aid package for Ukraine was the most contentious, passing 311-112. In total, 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 112 Republicans voted against it.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.