
Former President Joe Biden was “a great American” who would serve as president, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Thursday, a day after Biden announced he would step down as vice president.
“Joe Biden would be a great American,” Graham said during a campaign event in South Carolina.
“A very good man, a very honorable man, and I think he would be very, very welcome.”
The remarks were a sharp contrast to remarks Biden made Wednesday, where he called Biden a “dishonest, dishonest man,” adding that “somebody was trying to get him killed.”
Biden’s decision to retire as vice presidential candidate has stoked speculation that he would seek a second term in 2020, though he has not formally announced his candidacy.
Biden’s decision has already been questioned by some former supporters who have expressed frustration at his decision to run in 2020.
But Graham has said Biden has been an outstanding president, one who has helped lead the country to the top of the world and become the first African-American president of the United States.
“You’ve got a lot of good people that you have, and a lot that you need to be able to do,” Graham told ABC News.
“I’ve been saying that, for a long time.
And I think that we have a lot more people in this country that I think deserve to be in the Oval Office than just about anyone.”