Sen. Lindsey Graham was photographed at Disney World during the partial U.S. government shutdown. He has faced significant backlash for visiting the theme park as thousands of federal employees go without pay. TMZ reached out to Graham for comment.
He said, “I was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff to discuss the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. I went to Orlando to meet friends afterward. I’m already back in South Carolina.”
The shutdown stems from a budget impasse between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans have pushed for increased funding for DHS, which would allocate more money to ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol. Democrats, however, have resisted approving such measures without additional oversight of those agencies.
Data suggests that while Donald Trump has said ICE targets criminals in the country illegally, about 80% of those detained and deported had no criminal history to speak of. Following reports linking ICE agents to the deaths of two American citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, public perception of the agency has worsened.
Graham blamed Democrats for the shutdown, saying:
“I voted seven times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat.”
Several prominent conservative and liberal politicians and commentators have weighed in on Graham’s outing, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and commentator Cassandra MacDonald.
Newsom’s press office also weighed in on X, posting:
Divas still need vacation https://t.co/aKBhMw0stF
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 29, 2026
Graham has also been described by critics as the “most pro-war Republican,” citing his strong and consistent support for the war in Iran.
Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, who later aligned with Democrats, said,
“Lindsey’s probably the most pro-war Republican out there. He’s certainly the most visible. We’re talking about a guy who, if he could, would have American troops everywhere on the planet engaged in some sort of war. He’s a war-hungry dude, and he’s got Trump’s ear.”
Absolute insanity. Senator Lindsey Graham casually suggests an Iwo Jima style invasion of Iran, treating American troops like expendable cattle. Even MAGA Republicans are revolting against this disastrous war of choice. pic.twitter.com/PP7zv2K1J1
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) March 23, 2026
Graham has also spoken extensively with Donald Trump about Iran policy.
He told Politico,
“We were thinking about this early, early on about how Iran is a spoiler for expanding the Abraham Accords and stability in the Middle East. I told him before he took office … if you can collapse this terrorist regime, that’s Berlin Wall stuff.”
