Tim Scott discusses politics in Face the Nation interview

Tim Scott used his July 12 appearance on Face the Nation to frame Lindsey Graham’s sudden death as both a personal loss and a political one, telling Margaret Brennan that “America certainly has lost a statesman. I have lost a friend.” The interview, published the same day CBS aired the program, centered on how Graham shaped South Carolina politics, Senate Republicans and the state’s place in national power.

Scott reached back to Graham’s early life to explain the force of his politics. He said Graham’s mother died of cancer, his father died of a massive heart attack 15 months later, and that Graham adopted his 13-year-old sister when he was 19 and a student at the University of South Carolina. That, Scott said, was the “hard and harsh beginning” that framed Graham’s worldview, including his instinct to help people who felt invisible and to treat public office as service rather than status.

He also leaned on the kind of anecdote that has long defined Graham’s relationship with colleagues. Scott recalled inviting him to a South Carolina prayer breakfast in Washington at 8:30 in the morning, after which Graham joked he was “not coming, even if Jesus comes before 10 a.m.” Scott said Graham still showed up at 8:31, a small story that fit the portrait he drew of a man who was witty, reliable and willing to show up for causes he believed mattered. He also pointed to Graham’s 30 years in uniform and his role as a colonel, saying he “loved America passionately” and “served us brilliantly.”

The most politically revealing part of the interview came when Scott turned to Graham’s role as a bridge between Donald Trump and Senate Republicans. Scott said Graham was “a powerful leader” who forged a daily line to the president and made himself useful to the White House through personal trust, even through golf. “I don’t know anyone who can fill the shoes of Lindsey Graham,” Scott said, adding that Senate Republicans would need “an important conversation to come” about who could fill that void. He said he planned to rename the South Carolina Prayer Breakfast in Graham’s honor and that Republican leaders would find a way to honor him through the rest of the term. CBS News’ transcript archive shows Scott has been a recurring Face the Nation guest, including an Oct. 8, 2023 interview, underscoring his steady role in the program’s political coverage.