Graham: Trump mistook old video of North Korea for live missile launch

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says in a new interview that President Trump once thought during one of their meetings that archived footage of North Korean missile launches was happening in real time and became briefly concerned.

In an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday, Graham recalled a meeting he had with Trump shortly after he was elected. Graham said he and the president sat beside a television tuned to Fox News and had lunch with former chief of staff Reince Priebus and national security adviser H.R. McMaster.

During the meeting, Graham recalled, Trump wanted to discuss national security.

{mosads}Graham told Trump what he saw as his two biggest concerns with the topic, Iran and North Korea. At that point, Graham recalled the television began showing old footage of North Korean missile launches.

Graham said Trump grew worried after watching the footage, as he was under the impression the launches were happening in real time.

“That’s old footage, old footage!” Graham recalled telling Trump at the time, laughing.

Graham, who was once one the president’s most vocal Republican critics, also touched on his relationship with Trump during the interview and his late friend Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) reluctance to embrace him. 

Graham said McCain wasn’t pleased when Graham began to warm up to Trump after the 2016 presidential election.

“Why do you play golf with him?” Graham recalled McCain asking him. “I told him I hope you understand. … The best place to talk to him is in his world.”