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“Senator with a Ladder”: Lindsey Graham’s Joke About Switching Sides Sparks Serious Questions on Loyalty, Legacy, and Ladders
By Khadija Khan | FNF News | June 13, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was an ordinary Tuesday morning in the Senate chamber, until South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham strolled in with something unusual under his arm: a six-foot aluminum ladder. As aides scurried to arrange notes and water bottles for the day’s session, Graham calmly leaned the ladder against the chamber’s central rostrum.
When a reporter asked what it was for, Graham smiled and replied,
“Just makes it easier to hop the fence when I need to switch sides.”
That single offhand remark—delivered with Graham’s signature smirk—was instantly clipped, captioned, memed, and dissected. But beyond the humor, it touched a nerve in American political culture: the normalization of political flexibility, opportunism, and ideological acrobatics in an age where public trust in elected officials continues to erode.
Climbing in the Age of Trump
Senator Lindsey Graham’s career is a case study in the transformation of modern conservatism. Once the loyal shadow of Senator John McCain and a loud opponent of Donald Trump’s brash populism, Graham’s evolution into one of Trump’s most enthusiastic Senate allies stunned both progressives and fellow conservatives.
“If you told me in 2015 that Graham would be defending Trump after January 6, I’d have laughed,” said former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt. “Now he’s practically carrying a ladder to climb onto the bandwagon.”
In fact, Graham’s 2015 words remain infamous:
“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed… and we will deserve it.”
Yet just four years later, there he was—defending Trump on cable news, flying with him on Air Force One, and voting in lockstep with MAGA Republicans on issues ranging from tax reform to judicial appointments.
The Ladder as Metaphor: America Reacts
As images of Graham’s “Senate ladder” flooded social media, they were met with both hilarity and deep cynicism. On TikTok, creators filmed parodies of Graham escaping from Senate hearings via emergency ladders, or swinging between Democrat and Republican balconies like a Capitol Tarzan.
But beneath the memes was real discontent.
“We laugh, but the truth is terrifying,” said activist Maya Hassan. “He’s admitting—jokingly—that he doesn’t stand for anything except convenience.”
Late-night host Stephen Colbert opened his monologue with the line:
“Why did Lindsey Graham bring a ladder to the Senate? Because spinelessness doesn’t carry you as far as it used to.”
Even former colleagues weighed in. Retired Senator Claire McCaskill called it, “the most honest thing Graham’s said in five years.”
A Pattern of Pivoting
Graham’s political career has featured more turns than a NASCAR race. His stances on everything from immigration to abortion rights to foreign intervention have morphed based on the dominant winds of the GOP.
- 2016: Opposed Trump, called him “unfit.”
- 2017-2020: Supported Trump’s judges, policies, and reelection campaign.
- Jan 6, 2021: Condemned Trump after the Capitol attack, saying, “Count me out.”
- Weeks later: Flew to Mar-a-Lago, saying Trump “remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party.”
“It’s not just about switching positions,” noted political historian Dr. Evelyn Ross. “It’s about the speed. Graham flips so fast it’s like watching a pancake chef on Adderall.”
Trust, Loyalty, and the Crisis of Representation
Graham’s ladder moment echoes a larger political anxiety: can voters trust anyone anymore?
In a recent Gallup poll, only 19% of Americans said they had “a great deal” of trust in Congress. Graham’s joke—perhaps unintentionally—reinforces the notion that many lawmakers are more interested in performance and survival than principle.
“We used to elect people based on what they believed,” said Navy veteran and South Carolina voter Dan Morales. “Now it’s like we’re voting for who can lie the best, or climb the fastest.”
And with 2024 behind us and the 2026 midterms already looming, party loyalty is once again the topic of internal GOP tension. Graham has positioned himself as a bridge—or ladder—between the Mitch McConnell establishment and the Trumpist base.
The Republican Ladder Club?
Some observers believe Graham is just the most visible of a broader phenomenon—Republican lawmakers hedging their bets as MAGA populism battles traditional conservatism for control of the party.
“You’ve got at least 30 senators with invisible ladders,” said a senior Capitol Hill aide. “They’re ready to pivot at a moment’s notice.”
Senators Josh Hawley, J.D. Vance, and even Marco Rubio have all made rhetorical flips depending on whether Trump was rising or falling in the polls. And with Trump’s legal woes mounting even after a 2024 electoral defeat, that flexibility may soon become necessity.
Conclusion: A Joke That Wasn’t a Joke
Ultimately, Lindsey Graham’s ladder may be less of a prop and more of a confession. In an age where loyalty is often performative, and truth is slippery, the American people are left wondering:
Is anyone in Washington truly grounded?
Or are they all just one rung away from climbing to wherever the winds of power blow?
Until then, one thing is clear: in today’s Senate, you don’t need a spine—just a sturdy ladder.