Trump had poured gasoline on the tensions. Graham wished Trump would, instead, “appoint a presidential commission to deal with policing and race. And then get tough on the protesters.” The key was to redefine the way police interacted with their communities. Graham wondered, “Do you really want to deploy the active-duty military against Americans unless you have to? The military has a lot of respect from everybody. Do you really want to get them in the middle of this shitshow?” “Right now his presidency’s very much at risk,” Graham said. “This thing has the potential now to eat him alive.”
