Trump Phones CNN to Honor Late Sen. Lindsey Graham, Declines Iran War Questions

President Donald Trump appeared on CNN's State of the Union via phone interview on Sunday to pay tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, Washington Examiner reported. Trump told anchor Jake Tapper he was trying to have CNN go on a normal path.

The interview focused on Graham's life and legacy after Tapper began to ask about the war in Iran but stopped when Trump declined to discuss U.S. military action in the Middle East. "I don't want to.

Out of respect for Lindsey, I'm not talking about that," Trump said. He described Graham as a fantastic advocate in the Senate and recalled that Graham called him the night before his death after returning from a trip to Ukraine. Trump praised Graham's defense of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during the 2018 confirmation hearings, calling it a top 10, maybe a top five moment in the history of the Senate.

Tapper invited Trump to return for another interview on the program. "Sure. We'll do that. Sure," Trump replied. Tapper responded that he was on a normal path, and Trump agreed.