President Donald Trump and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) publicly sparred over the weekend about legislation that Trump supports, and Cotton opposes, to make daylight saving time permanent.

Trump has been pressuring the Senate to pass the legislation, which the House passed on a bipartisan basis, while Cotton has been its most visible opponent in the Senate. Orthodox Jewish groups have opposed the push to eliminate the time changes, warning of the impact on morning prayer and schoolchildren’s schedules. Barring that, Orthodox groups have urged making standard time permanent instead.

In a major broadside against Cotton, Trump posted the senator’s cell phone number on Truth Social, urging constituents to contact him personally.

“Everyone in Arkansas, a State I love, and won 3 times, the last by … 34 points, tell Tom to, GET IT DONE!” Trump wrote. “It’s very expensive for our Nation where you have high and dangerous steeples to reach, like on churches and municipal buildings. Almost everybody wants ‘The Sunshine Protection Act’ to pass, except for Tom Cotton.”

Trump attached a letter from PGA Tour President Brian Rolapp to his message to Cotton. The golf and leisure industries, particularly in Florida, have been among the most prominent advocates for permanent daylight saving time. The agricultural industry, particularly in northern states, has generally opposed the change, despite claims by Trump.

Though he didn’t address Trump directly, Cotton responded by highlighting a past experiment with ending time changes several decades ago, which quickly became unpopular and was reversed.

“No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter,” Cotton said. “Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first.”

Trump fired back by accusing Cotton of blocking the legislation over “ego,” dismissing the past overturning of permanent daylight saving time as a result of congressional negotiating and asserting — contrary to polling from the time that showed substantial opposition to the policy after it was put in place — that “everybody loved it.”

“If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight and, more importantly, they wouldn’t have to run all over their houses, farms, work places, and everywhere else, twice a year, having to change their Clocks, and often forgetting to do so. That is really putting Arkansas FIRST, and I know, because, unlike Tom, I won that Great State, three times, and by almost 40 points,” Trump said, also emphasizing that Cotton and other Senate Republicans “NEED” the “WIN.”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), whose state has utilized permanent standard time for decades, chimed in to say, “Senator Cotton is right. Permanent Daylight Savings has been tried and Americans didn’t like it.”

“The better way is permanent Standard Time because it’s based on science. No dark mornings, it keeps our time in sync with the Sun, and no more changing the clocks. Arizona has been on Standard Time year round since 1968 without issue,” Kelly wrote on X.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he faces a “big decision” between making a deal with Iran and escalating military conflict, as he predicted the sides would reach an agreement following the midterm elections.

“I have a big decision to make,” Trump told the U.N. General Assembly in New York, on the first day of the high-level week. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? … Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

The president has recently made similar statements suggesting he must choose between negotiations and further confrontation, though there appear to be no serious negotiations underway and U.S. strikes have been sporadic.

"I have a big decision to make,” Trump said at the UN. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? … Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic? … I believe we’ll make a deal right after the [midterm] election.” pic.twitter.com/LYB5f2i0Fd

— Jewish Insider (@jewishinsider) September 22, 2026

Trump said he believes an agreement with Iran will ultimately be reached after the U.S. midterm elections in November, arguing that Tehran is waiting to see how Republicans perform.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the [midterm] election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump said. “They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realize is that I’m not running.”

Even absent a deal, Trump argued that U.S. efforts in Iran have yielded success, including stopping Iran from being the “bully” of the Middle East.

“For 51 years, the fanatical Iranian regime has ruled by bloodshed and mass murder, spreading death and carnage and chaos across the entire Middle East and beyond,” Trump said. “They were the bully of the Middle East, but they are the bully no more.” 

While no bilateral sit-downs between Trump and Iranian leadership were scheduled, Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had a “very good meeting” with Iranian officials on Tuesday. 

“It was a meeting that lasted for three hours … They had a very good meeting, very productive meeting, and they have another one scheduled in the near future,” Trump said. “We’ll see how it turns out, but, certainly, it’s to their advantage to make a deal, and if we can do that, it’s preferable.”

Prior to the meeting a U.S. official had told CNN that Trump said he would be open to arranging a meeting with Iranian officials in New York “if the conditions are right,” or delegating senior advisors traveling with him to meet with them. Axios further reported that mediating Arab countries had been trying to arrange a meeting as well.

Trump called on “all nations” to “join us in enforcing the complete economic isolation of Iran until they stop their attacks on commercial shipping, relinquish their nuclear ambitions and cease their support of terror.” 

Praising international support for Washington’s stance, Trump thanked the U.N. Security Council for passing a resolution in March condemning Iranian attacks on maritime trade.

“That resolution, I’m pleased to say, received more co-sponsors from U.N. member nations than any Security Council resolution in history,” Trump said. “That’s something. Now we must be equally united in maintaining pressure.”

He added that the U.S. Navy has recently escorted more than 1 billion barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining that “more oil is flowing than at any point since the start of the war.”

He also dismissed reports suggesting the U.S. military is running dangerously low on munitions as a result of the conflict.

“We have more munitions than we could ever possibly even think of using, and we’re building them at levels that we have never done before. We are adding to our stockpiles faster than we have ever been able to do before,” he said.

Trump noted that 18 new munitions facilities are currently under construction by defense contractors, promising that the expansion will lead to the “very rapid deployment of missiles of every type and ammunition of every type,” as well as faster resupply for allies.

Turning to the Middle East more broadly, Trump touched on the situation in Gaza, where implementation of his administration’s 20-point peace plan remains stalled as Hamas refuses to disarm. The president thanked countries that joined the Board of Peace, as well as those that committed personnel to secure Gaza.

“We ended the war in Gaza, saving untold thousands of lives. We also brought home all the remaining hostages, both living and dead, every single one of them,” Trump said. “Nearly 30 countries have joined the board, which I am honored to chair, and we’re thankful to many of those member nations for contributing billions and billions of dollars to relief. I also want to thank those who have committed troops, police, and training to help stabilize Gaza, including Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Jordan and more.”

President Donald Trump met with several Hasidic rabbis at the White House on Thursday ahead of Rosh Hashanah, a gathering his office called the first of its kind in nearly 50 years.

The rabbis, many of whom were pictured in photos that circulated on social media ahead of the meeting flying to Washington on private jets, hailed from a range of leading Hasidic communities in New York — including the two rival Satmar sects in Brooklyn and Kiryas Joel; the Bobov sect in Brooklyn; the Vizhnitz sect in Monsey; and the Skver sect in New Square. 

The 85-year-old Skver rebbe, David Twersky, whose endorsements in congressional races have long been highly coveted, sent one of his sons to the meeting in his place. Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, dean of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J., the largest yeshiva in the United States, also joined.

The meeting, according to sources, was attended by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and key outside advisor, who is Jewish; Vice President JD Vance; and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is among the most vulnerable House Republicans running this cycle. The congressman — whose district includes the Hasidic village of New Square — has depended on the politically powerful Skver endorsement in past races.

Vance paid a visit to the Roosevelt Room during the gathering, according to two sources familiar with the matter granted anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the private reception. He joked to the attendees that the “Hasidim are the only ones who have larger families than him,” the sources told Jewish Insider afterward. 

A spokesperson for Vance, who welcomed his fourth child in July, did not dispute that account but told JI it might have been “a joke one of the rabbis made to” the vice president.

Beforehand, sources familiar with the meeting framed it as a chance for Trump to convey Rosh Hashanah greetings ahead of the Jewish new year marking the beginning of the High Holy Days next week — in a demonstration of mutual respect for a community whose rank and file have shown strong support for his campaigns.

But some more substantive issues were also raised, according to the sources, including topics like “large families” as well as housing concerns, prison reform and “expanding earned income tax credits” for those with more than three children.

One source who attended the meeting also said that Trump, for his part, talked “about pardoning Jewish prisoners” including Sholom Rubashkin — the kosher meatpacking executive convicted of financial fraud in 2009. His 27-year prison sentence was commuted by Trump in 2017.

The president also spoke privately with Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the Satmar leader in Kiryas Joel, another person informed of their exclusive discussion told JI.

A White House official told JI the president and top administration officials “met with the leading Hasidic Rabbis in the United States,” saying it was the first of such gatherings “at the White House since 1979.”

The Hasidic leaders “thanked the president for all he had done in combatting antisemitism, advocating for school choice with the middle-class tax credit and for fighting for peoples of faith,” the White House official added. 

In recognition of Rosh Hashanah, the delegation of rabbis “said blessings to the president, and thanked the entire administration for all they had done for all Americans,” according to the official.

The meeting had faced some resistance from a few far-right Trump allies over its inclusion of the Satmar community, an anti-Zionist Hasidic sect that believes only the messiah is supposed to bring about a Jewish state. 

But the Trump administration indicated that it was unmoved by such protestations, proceeding with the scheduled meeting on Thursday.

Broadly speaking, the rabbis who joined the meeting “focused on issues important to the community,” one source said of the visit. “It mostly went as planned.”

President Donald Trump is expected to meet with several Hasidic Jewish rabbis at the White House on Thursday ahead of Rosh Hashanah, according to people familiar with the matter.

The planned Oval Office meeting was initiated by Martin Marks, the White House Jewish liaison, one source told Jewish Insider, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private outreach. Marks did not respond to a text message seeking comment Monday. 

A White House official confirmed the meeting to JI. “Before the Rosh Hashanah holidays, President Trump looks forward to greeting rabbis representing some of the largest Hasidic communities in the United States,” the official said. “President Trump has consistently won nearly 100% of the votes in these Hassidic enclaves, and the last time they were gathered at the White House was in 1979.”

The White House has not publicly announced the gathering, which has drawn some resistance from a few Trump allies over reports the meeting will include members of the Satmar community, an anti-Zionist Hasidic sect that believes only the messiah is supposed to bring about a Jewish state.

According to two sources, several leaders from Hasidic communities in New York confirmed their attendance at the meeting, including the two rival Satmar sects in Brooklyn as well as Kiryas Joel; the Bobov sect in Brooklyn; the Vizhnitz sect in Monsey; and the Skver sect in New Square.

The 85-year-old Skver Rebbe, David Twersky, whose endorsements in House elections are highly coveted, will send his son to the meeting in his place, according to a Satmar source.

“As of now it is happening,” one Bobov leader told JI on Monday, but added a caveat that with the Trump administration “things move very quickly” and could change.

Shlomo Schorr, the director of legislative affairs at Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, said he also heard that Rabbi Malkiel Kotler, a dean of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, N.J., the largest yeshiva in the United States, had been invited to the meeting and planned to attend. 

Schorr’s understanding, he told JI, was that the meeting would be “a quick photo op” and provide Trump a chance to wish the Jewish leaders a happy Rosh Hashanah in advance of the Jewish new year next week that marks the start of the High Holy Days.

The Satmar source said that the meeting had “no purpose” aside from a broad recognition of mutual respect. “The president knows this community was strongly supportive of him,” he explained to JI.

Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, who leads the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, reportedly told followers on Saturday night he planned to ask for Trump’s help opposing the politically divisive Israeli military draft for yeshiva students.

Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who is a close ally of Trump, cited such comments on social media over the weekend while raising her objections to the meeting.

“These are anti-Israel pro-Mamdani rabbis who are being hosted with open arms in the Oval Office,” she said of the Satmar leaders, arguing that the meeting “is going to severely piss off the Jewish Republicans in the MAGA base who voted for President Trump.”

While neither of the Satmar rebbes endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor, a prominent representative of one sect backed his general election campaign. Leaders of the Satmar community, which frequently endorses Democrats, have also met privately with Mamdani, and Zalman Teitelbaum, the Satmar rebbe in Williamsburg, recently defended the mayor amid accusations of promoting antisemitism.  

Sid Rosenberg, a conservative radio host in New York, agreed with Loomer, calling the meeting a “huge mistake” and criticizing the Kiryas Joel Satmar leader as “a terrible guy” who “has no right being anywhere near” the president.

The Satmar source clarified that he would not raise the draft in the meeting. “He doesn’t plan to bring it up,” he told JI, noting that the rabbi “always shoots from the hip.”

Boosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a preelection rally from the state’s leading Republican figures, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) survived a challenge from Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) to win the GOP nomination for her late brother’s Senate seat.

“I continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart, but I know he’s looking down, very proud,” Graham said in her victory speech Tuesday night. 

Graham prevailed narrowly (52%-48%) despite facing serious questions about her experience and readiness for a full term in the Senate during the compressed campaign. She expressed ignorance about foreign policy in the race’s lone debate when asked about her thoughts about Taiwan’s security. She had also said she wouldn’t be as focused on foreign policy as her brother, whose hawkish national security record defined his political legacy. 

Norman, a hard-line fiscal conservative, proved to be a lackluster opponent, winning in his home base in northwestern South Carolina but losing across the rest of the state. He alienated Republican leaders by initially opposing Trump’s presidential campaign in 2024 (he was one of Nikki Haley’s leading endorsees) and holding out support of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) during the 2023 House GOP leadership fight. 

Norman wasn’t able to offer a generational contrast, either — at 73, he would have been one of the oldest freshman senators in recent memory. He was badly outspent in the race by Graham and allied groups, including Trump’s well-financed super PAC, which hasn’t gotten involved in many races this cycle. 

“His policies are good, I never understood why he got in this race … it is what it is. I’ll accept it,” Norman said in his concession speech of the president’s involvement.

Graham’s victory means that Trump holds a near-perfect record with his Senate primary endorsements during his political career, even as some of his gubernatorial and House picks have fallen short this year. Trump’s decision to spend valuable political capital — both in time and money — clearly played a pivotal role in the competitive runoff. 

Graham herself offered a nod to Trump’s influence, saying in her election night speech, “South Carolina is truly Trump country.”

In November, Graham will face pediatrician Annie Andrews, a Democrat who has been a strong fundraiser, especially given the challenges the party faces in winning South Carolina, a solidly conservative state that backed Trump by 18 points in the 2024 presidential election. 

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) touted his early support for efforts to block certain U.S. arms sales to Israel during a Senate debate on Thursday with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who is challenging the Massachusetts senator for his seat.

“Trump had Netanyahu’s back in his unbelievably unconscionable war against Gaza. And that’s why Bernie Sanders and I and Elizabeth Warren, we were [some] of the first 11 who voted against these 1,000-pound bombs going in against Gaza,” Markey said. “The man has no conscience. He has no wisdom whatsoever. He is endangering the United States, our national security, our standing in the world every single day that he’s allowed to sit in that Oval Office.”

Moulton did not directly address Israel policy during the debate.

Both candidates also focused significant time on condemning the war in Iran and expressing their opposition to it, while jabbing at each other over who has been the more effective opponent of the war.

Moulton named ending the Iran war as the most important thing that Congress can do in the current moment, taking credit for bringing a war powers resolution to the House floor.

Throughout the debate, Markey repeatedly attacked Moulton for voting, months before the start of the war, for a 2026 appropriations bill that included funding for the Defense Department. Moulton responded by repeatedly highlighting Markey’s past support for other defense appropriations bills, including during the Iraq war.

Moulton also criticized Markey for voting to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing him of doing so at the behest of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and highlighted his own national security experience and background.

Both candidates offered defenses of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs that have come under attack by the Trump administration, in part through the administration’s investigations into campus antisemitism.

“We absolutely should defend DEI. That’s part of our DNA. And what the Trump administration is doing is not conducting an honest campaign. They are demonizing universities. They are attacking blue states. They are attacking fundamental American values,” Moulton said. “Any decisions about DEI programs should be left to the institutions themselves,” he continued, praising the “amazing institutions,” including institutions of higher education, in the state.

“We’re only going to be a great nation if we tap the talents of every person in our country. That’s what DEI is all about: diversity and equity and inclusion for everyone, and that is what has made our country great,” Markey said.

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. was launching “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” against Iran, threatening to take aggressive action against foreign entities and businesses engaging economically with Tehran.

“No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, but Tehran has “failed to take it.” 

“Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY,” he wrote.

Trump warned of broad “economic consequences” for those assisting Tehran’s economy, adding, “You know who you are.” While he did not explicitly name the measures the U.S. would take, his announcement came following his threat of U.S. military action against Oman earlier this week over potential interference in U.S. negotiations with Iran.

Calling the initiative an “economic D-Day,” Trump urged global allies to join Washington in isolating Tehran.

“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide,” Trump wrote, vowing once again that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. 

While senior White House officials indicated earlier this week that talks between the U.S. and Iran were ongoing, Trump later said no discussions were taking place or scheduled for the future.

The announcement also comes as the United Arab Emirates announced this week that it would suspend all financial and commercial ties with Tehran.

Good Wednesday afternoon.

This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.

Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.

📡On Our Radar

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

A State Department official pushed back on Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments in southern Lebanon today, where he said the IDF would remain deployed in a security zone, contrary to the agreement signed between Washington, Jerusalem and Beirut.

“The United States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the Framework they agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. A permanent military presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the Framework, or the long-term peace and security of both states,” the official told Axios…

---

Sources told Reuters that Israel and Lebanon have agreed that countries including Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia could contribute troops to an international force meant to oversee Hezbollah’s disarmament; an Israeli official denied any decisions had been made on the issue…

---

President Donald Trump continued to boast about the success of the U.S. campaign against Iran, stating again in a post on Truth Social today that the U.S. “has total control over the Strait of Hormuz” and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is “decimated and fleeing.”

Meanwhile, out of the 166 ships that have transited the strait so far this month — a significant decrease from the average before the war — only two are known to have used the U.S.- and Oman-backed route, according to The Wall Street Journal…

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In a rare interview with Western media, top IRGC advisor Mohammad Reza Naqdi told “PBS News Hour” that Iran is prepared to continue hostilities through the end of Trump’s term and accused the U.S. of waging a “war without strategy”…

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The New York Times documents the efforts being made by Gulf countries to construct routes to move oil out of the region that do not rely on the Strait of Hormuz…

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Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov denied in a post in Hebrew today that there is any financial agreement between the board and Hamas, refuting a report by Israeli public broadcaster Kan that the board would cover Hamas’ debts up to $400 million.

The disarmament roadmap states that the new Palestinian technocratic government will “assess the legitimate commitments to suppliers, contractors and other parties — up to a total amount of no more than $400M — and address them”; Mladenov said in his post that such processes “are not channeled through Hamas” and that “all accounts are open to full scrutiny by the donor governments”…

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The publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, Michael Morris, penned an open letter to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) today pressing the senator over his repeated votes to block U.S. military sales to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

“I apologize for being blunt, but please, stop lying to me and your constituents. I hear you claim, over and over again, that you support Israel — that your support is ‘ironclad.’ It is not,” Morris wrote…

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Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) denied today that the more than $30 million of support she received from AIPAC’s super PAC in her failed run for U.S. Senate backfired, saying on CNN that those who criticize AIPAC “maybe don’t understand what the group is” and that she’s “proud of the friendships and the relationships I have there [and] the really good Americans” who make up its membership…

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping away from her role at the end of the month, Trump announced today, in order to spend more time with her family. The president said Leavitt will now serve as “one of my top outside advisors”…

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Josh Kushner, managing partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger have agreed to purchase a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers for a record-breaking price of $12.5 billion, JI’s Matthew Shea reports…

⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for a look at local Jewish political organizing efforts in major cities across the country.

The Hudson Institute will hold an event examining the state of the ongoing conflicts in the Gulf with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Behnam Ben Taleblu and Hudson’s Michael Doran, Ludo Hood and Zineb Riboua.

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President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf will replace David Warrington as White House counsel effective Sept. 1.

In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Scharf, whom he said has done “an amazing job” as staff secretary, as “Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law.”

Scharf, who is Jewish, has served as White House staff secretary since early 2025. At the time of his appointment to the position, Trump described Scharf as “a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team.”

In between the president’s terms, Scharf was part of the team representing Trump in his federal election interference and immunity cases, the latter of which Scharf argued before the Supreme Court. 

The New York native previously ran for Missouri attorney general after spending years in the state, including as an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis specializing in the prosecution of violent crimes and as an advisor to former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in 2018 over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Trump also said in his Sunday announcement that Warrington, who has served in the role since the start of the second Trump administration, will move to the private sector.

Sen. Darline Graham’s (R-SC) bid to succeed her late brother in the Senate is facing growing skepticism from Republican operatives and lawmakers who say President Donald Trump’s endorsement is unlikely to spare her from a runoff in South Carolina’s special GOP primary next week. 

Over the last week, six senior GOP campaign operatives and Republican lawmakers told Jewish Insider that they believe a runoff is all but certain after the Aug. 11 special election primary, with most predicting Graham will not be able to clinch a majority of the vote to avert one as her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), did with his June primary victory. 

While Republicans believe Graham will be one of the top two candidates in the race, thus allowing her a spot in the Aug. 25 runoff, they are still unsure whether she will face Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) or Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) in that contest. Those who spoke to JI expressed skepticism that Graham could win a head-to-head showdown, despite having Trump’s coveted primary endorsement. 

“The sense that this is going to go to a runoff seems pretty clear,” Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communications director for the Republican National Committee and a deputy communications official for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), said. “What happens after that is anyone’s guess.”

“Ultimately, it’s going to be a question of what Republican voters in South Carolina want to do and how they view the new Sen. Graham,” he continued. “You can’t really factor in what she’s done yet, but you know what she says she’s going to do. She doesn’t have a high name ID, although that is increasing every day, whereas the others who are running have much higher name ID and not just necessarily in their districts.”

The uncertainty surrounding the race has caused some to worry about Graham entering a competitive election contest, which will require her to develop a full policy platform and hit the campaign trail as she mourns her brother’s recent death. 

“It’s being said and unsaid by a lot of people on Capitol Hill right now. Up to this point, most people here have been more concerned about her personally than figuring out her political philosophy, asking if it’s fair to her to put her in this situation,” a Republican senator told JI. “This has got so many consequences. I’ve been very concerned about it. The people who express concern the most are still mainly worried about her personally, which is heartwarming, but the stakes are also very high.”

Four sources noted that Trump’s support for Graham did not deter Norman or Fry from entering the contest, nor has it hurt either of their performances in recent primary polling. 

“There really is an appetite for change, but also for someone who is known, who has a proven record,” a GOP campaign source said. “Love them or hate them, folks know what Ralph and Russell’s records look like. Love them or hate them, you know where they stand. Darline is largely an unknown.”

Republican sources pointed to issues around voter turnout, Graham’s ability to fundraise quickly enough on the compressed campaign schedule, her lack of political background or voting record and the possibility of her losing support if portrayed to voters as being anointed to the role. 

Darline Graham should be able to benefit from some of the leftover cash in her brother’s campaign account. Lindsey Graham’s campaign filed a statement with the Federal Election Commission after his death reporting $2.3 million in remaining funds. 

Lindsey Graham’s campaign was able to transfer some of that money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, for Darline Graham to use for her campaign, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The figure expected to be transferred is under $1 million, one source confirmed, leaving Darline Graham with a possible cash disadvantage for the primary and the general election, where the Republican nominee will face Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who handily won the Democratic primary in June and has proven to be a strong fundraiser. 

Prior to Lindsey Graham’s passing, Andrews drew attention for outraising the incumbent senator in the first two quarters of 2026. Despite the fundraising success, national Democrats declined to commit resources to the race against Graham, which the Cook Political Report continues to rate as solid Republican even after his death. 

Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) got behind Norman’s campaign before Graham had entered; once she did, she quickly secured her own endorsements from three members of Senate GOP leadership: Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY); Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR); and Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said after Graham announced her candidacy that he would not be weighing in with an endorsement, though he praised the incumbent senator as a “strong candidate” who “obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy.” 

Beyond those who have already endorsed her, Graham does not appear to have asked her other Republican colleagues in the Senate for their backing, according to two Republican senators and one senior GOP Senate staffer. The senators suggested that perhaps Graham was not in the right frame of mind to ask about endorsements herself, though both senators expressed surprise that no one from Graham’s campaign had made those overtures on her behalf. 

“Many of us had never met her before. All I knew was how much Lindsey adored her. He talked about her a lot. He referenced her a lot. He’d take her call whenever it happened to be,” a GOP senator told JI of Graham. “But we don’t have a clue how Republican she is. I don’t have the faintest idea what her basic philosophies are.”

“She hasn’t asked me or the members that I’ve talked to,” one GOP senator told JI on condition of anonymity of Graham seeking out endorsements late last week. “If she isn’t asking and nobody is asking on her behalf, she sure as heck won’t get a lot of them. Maybe she’ll get around to that next week now that she’s on the job full time. It’s kind of a pivotal week, I would say.”

Graham has picked up one House endorsement from Rep. William Timmons (R-SC), who opposes Norman’s candidacy, while Norman has been endorsed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and former Rep. Bob Good (R-VA). He also has the support of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who served with Norman in the House. 

The slow drip of congressional endorsements have since ground to a halt, as it became clear that Graham’s surprise campaign launch and Trump’s support for her candidacy had not deterred her Republican opponents or hurt their polling numbers.

“Many of us had never met her before [she was sworn in to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term]. All I knew was how much Lindsey adored her. He talked about her a lot. He referenced her a lot. He’d take her call whenever it happened to be,” a GOP senator told JI of Graham. “But we don’t have a clue how Republican she is. I don’t have the faintest idea what her basic philosophies are.”

“She’s still grieving,” a senior GOP campaign official involved with the race told JI. “Nobody wants to be seen hitting someone whose brother literally just died — and then was vaulted into a very public, very national spotlight — but at some point the gloves are gonna have to come off at least somewhat.”

“I suspect that being through what she’s been through the last couple of weeks, reliving his whole life basically in written word and broadcast and even just storytelling, she’s probably getting a pretty good lesson if she’s still forming her positions,” the senator continued. “I doubt she’s 180 degrees from him, but I don’t know what’s in her heart.”

Several Republicans have expressed concern that voters would respond poorly to the idea of Graham running while mourning the loss of her brother. They also worry about the possibility that the contest turns negative and the consequences of that shift.

“She’s still grieving,” a senior GOP campaign official involved with the race told JI. “Nobody wants to be seen hitting someone whose brother literally just died — and then was vaulted into a very public, very national spotlight — but at some point the gloves are gonna have to come off at least somewhat.”

One Republican senator told JI that they were “afraid it could be a brawl before it’s over, especially if her opponent feels like they’re up against a wall and corners her. We know how this goes.”

“If they get to a runoff, at that point, it is a whole new ball game and she’s no longer a grieving sister. She becomes a semi-incumbent obstacle to whoever wants to win,” the senator said. “These things happen faster nowadays. We have short memories.”

The South Carolina senator faced her four leading opponents in a televised debate on Monday evening. Graham was joined on the debate stage by Norman, Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Mark Lynch, a MAGA-aligned businessman who lost to Lindsey Graham in last month’s primary by 30 points. 

The debate was largely respectful, though Graham called out Lynch in her closing statement for repeatedly criticizing her late brother while on stage. “I don’t know if I can rebut, but Mr. Lynch mentioned Lindsey Graham multiple times. I don’t know if he’s just afraid Lindsey beat him and now his little sister is going to beat him, but I just don’t like hearing that,” Graham said. 

Graham used the debate to highlight where she and her late brother agree and disagree on policy matters, emphasizing their shared support for the U.S. war in Iran and how they diverge on the filibuster, which Darline Graham said she supports abolishing to pass the Save America Act despite her later brother’s opposition to the move. 

It is unclear if the two candidates who advance to the runoff, should one be triggered, will hold another debate. 

“Lindsey just made his way through a pretty contentious primary himself, and there is a degree of the primary electorate that was not a fan of his. I think that segment will still be very much adamantly opposed to this because they’ll see it as a continuation of the policies that they don’t support,” a senior GOP campaign source said. “Ralph Norman is a little bit better positioned to capture some of these hardcore conservative voters. I think she’ll have a difficult time even with the president’s endorsement.”

“This is potentially a race where debates could have a real impact, in part because this would be part of her introduction statewide as a candidate,” Heye said. “In moments like that where you have somebody in that situation, it’s very important for the other people on stage, including the moderators, to be appropriately respectful.”

While several Republicans acknowledged Trump’s endorsement as a key booster for Graham, they pointed out that her late brother, who was known to be close to the president, struggled in his own primary.

“Lindsey just made his way through a pretty contentious primary himself, and there is a degree of the primary electorate that was not a fan of his. I think that segment will still be very much adamantly opposed to this because they’ll see it as a continuation of the policies that they don’t support,” a senior GOP campaign source said. “Ralph Norman is a little bit better positioned to capture some of these hardcore conservative voters. I think she’ll have a difficult time even with the president’s endorsement.”

Heye noted to JI that, “Not everything that happens in a Republican primary is about Donald Trump. His endorsement is always a boost, but that’s it.”

Reached for comment, Graham campaign press secretary Abby Zilch told JI in a statement, “Sen. Darline Graham has had to work hard for every single thing she’s ever done — running for the United States Senate will be no different. That’s just one of the many reasons why President Trump has endorsed her and why so many South Carolinians see a true fighter in this campaign.”

ASPEN, Colo. — Robert Greenway, who led the Middle East and North Africa portfolio on the National Security Council during President Donald Trump’s first administration, predicted to Jewish Insider in an interview last month that the Iranian regime would not “make it” to the end of Trump’s time in office.

Greenway’s comments came amid the resumption of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran in late July, following the collapse of the countries’ memorandum of understanding, prior to the latest pause in U.S. strikes.

“We’ve really put ourselves in a position where we’ve got massive leverage. Their economy is virtually non-existent. I think it’s dead. We’re just waiting for the funeral, I think their political leadership is in turmoil,” Greenway said in an interview on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum. “The military has been decimated, and very little capacity remains to threaten the United States and our interests. That’s the reality of it. Despite claims to the contrary — those are not serious claims. They’re not supported by the facts.”

Greenway said that the administration’s military success had allowed it to “indulge a potential diplomatic path” that it knew was “unlikely” to actually succeed.

After the war, Greenway said that the U.S.’ regional approach should include working to contain Iran, building on the burgeoning regional security architecture developed with other Middle East allies and expanding the Abraham Accords. He was bullish about the chances for expanded normalization in spite of the apparent obstacles created by the wars in Gaza and Iran.

“The destruction [and] the attrition [in] Iran lowers the price of admission” for the Abraham Accords, Greenway said. “The math equation works here because we’ve reduced the Iranian threat. So there isn’t a massive requirement for us to provide enormous capabilities” to Arab states as a price for normalization.

Greenway was involved in negotiating the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first administration and continued to work to promote normalization after leaving the administration, first as the executive director of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute and later as the director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.

“Getting Saudi Arabia and the other states integrated into the region with Israel and expanding the accords is different now than it was a year or four years ago,” Greenway continued. “But it is still, I think, practical, necessary and achievable.”

He was dismissive of Saudi statements that the kingdom intends to condition normalization on a path to a two-state solution, arguing that such statements are a “public rhetorical mechanism that serves a purpose” but won’t be enforced in practice.

Greenway was a member of the Heritage Foundation when the group issued a report last year — which was controversial at the time — calling for the gradual phasing out of U.S. military aid to Israel. In the months since, the concept has been endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some American supporters of Israel, and most observers expect that a drawdown of direct financial support will be a component of the next U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding.

He said that phasing out U.S. aid would insulate Israel from American attempts to exert leverage over Jerusalem, such as that undertaken by the Biden administration. He said that the threat of growing Democratic shifts against Israel are a key reason for the U.S. to work to ensure that Israel no longer needs aid.

“Let’s improve Israel’s economy, let’s improve the trade that exists between our two countries, the security cooperation that exists between our two countries and our industries, and let’s improve Israel’s relationship to its neighbors, and if we can, reduce the threat,” Greenway said of the path to phasing out aid.

But he also said that aid should only be phased out “if Israel was in a financial position to do it, and its security relative to its neighbors was increased.”

He argued that Israel “doesn’t want” the U.S. involved in its relations with the Palestinians. Instead, he said the U.S. can best help Israel through economic ties and working to broker relationships with its neighbors, things Israel “can’t do … for itself.”

Greenway — as a Trump ally — was something of an outlier at the Aspen conference, which has generally attracted more traditional internationalist voices on the left and right. He said he wanted to urge the attendees to judge Trump and his administration by their results, rather than by rhetoric.

He pointed to the administration’s policy on Russia as one example. He argued that, while Trump has been accused of “coddling” Russia, he’s managed to severely damage Russia’s economy as well as press European countries to curtail their energy purchases that had been fueling Russia’s war machine.

“That actually, concrete, matters, right? And again, if you’re using a different lens and arbiter to look at how policies actually succeed or prevail or not, you can get to dangerous places,” Greenway said.

Greenway was also involved in crafting the Project Esther antisemitism strategy at the Heritage Foundation. Asked about how to avoid the encroachment of antisemitism on the right, Greenway pointed back to that strategy, and argued that Republicans have been more successful in fighting antisemitism in their party than Democrats.

“Republicans aren’t electing high officials that hold antisemitic principles and anti-Israel positions,” Greenway said. “I can’t say the same for the Democratic Party. … You cannot, as a Republican, stand up and make antisemitic comments and expect to survive, much less win an election or even become a candidate representing the party. It just isn’t going to happen.”

But he also said that there is a “very real struggle” to resist those trends and the problem of growing youth antisemitism crosses party lines, a phenomenon he blamed on conservatives “losing control of curricula and institutions and education.”

He said conservatives should work to reform educational systems and have zero tolerance for antisemitism.