But Graham s comments come as Senate Republicans are increasingly trying to ease tensions with Trump, which spiked in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the subsequent impeachment trial.
Republicans openly fumed at Trump after the deadly attack, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the counting of the Electoral College vote. Seven GOP senators later voted to convict him of inciting an insurrection, as part of his Senate trial.
Trump has maintained a vise-like grip on the party s base, who Republicans will need if they want to win back the House and Senate next year. They ve also watched as lawmakers who broke with Trump on impeachment have faced backlash back home.