Welcome to Washington: Who Will Be the Senate Republicans’ Next Trump Whisperer?

President Trump says Senator Lindsey Graham was like “family” to him, though he was actually much more than that. Graham served an important function from the opposite end of Pennsylvania Avenue — being one of the few lawmakers on Capitol Hill to whom the president would actually listen. The question now is: Who fills those shoes?Welcome to Washington, where the news of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday landed heavily on lawmakers, staff, and foreign officials. By Sunday morning, tributes were pouring in from across the globe, Democrats were telling stories about their good times with Graham, and the president himself sounded despondent during a series of interviews. “He’s a tough one to lose,” Mr. Trump on Sunday told “Meet the Press,” adding “he was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough.”Mr. Trump went on to praise Graham for his ability to work with anyone, saying if he ever needed a bridge to a Democrat, he would go to the Palmetto State senator. “He had a unique ability; he was able to deal with Democrats and Republicans. If I had a problem — a real problem — I wouldn’t often ask, but if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out,” the president said.While Mr. Trump has had close friends die over the years, none was as influential as Graham was on Capitol Hill. As chairman of the Budget Committee, the former and likely future chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and a chief negotiator for a number of bipartisan deals, Graham commanded respect among his colleagues, both Democratic and Republican. Those who often clash with the president — Senators Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy, and Susan Collins, to name a few — all held Graham in the highest regard. Walking the delicate balance between acknowledging the realities of the legislative morass and handling the president’s desire to move swiftly on big policy issues seems to have suited Graham exceptionally well. White House staff rarely in public praise members of the legislative branch. On Sunday, though, those who work in the West Wing made clear that Graham was a master when it came to corralling votes and being frank with the administration. “I’ll never forget the Senate lunch, when a couple of Senators were a tad off the program, and Lindsey — in his inimitable way — made sure everyone was onside by the time we left,” said the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. “He knew how to move a room.” Mr. Miller added: “There was never once a time he didn’t answer a phone call and lend whatever assistance was required. It was never a question with Lindsey. He believed deeply in the code of friendship and loyalty.”Graham’s death comes at a time when Mr. Trump’s relationship with Senate Republicans is in a particularly parlous state. That adds weight to the question of who could fill the role of Senate consigliere to the president — someone who could actually move votes and keep the president apprised of what is happening.There are a number of workhorse lawmakers on the Hill who certainly have the president’s ear. Senator Katie Britt comes to mind as a particularly well-respected senator by both Democrats and Republicans. The conservative from Alabama was elected to the Senate at the age of just 40, and Ms. Britt is already one of only 12 Republican senators to lead an appropriations subcommittee charged with funding the government. She was the lead negotiator with Democrats on a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, though those negotiations later fell apart. That’s when Graham and his Budget Committee kicked off the reconciliation process to fund deportation operations for the next three years. Other possible whisperers include Senator Tim Scott, another South Carolinian who has been close with the president for years. Senators John Kennedy and Mike Lee, both senior members of the Judiciary Committee, similarly speak to the president relatively often. Senator Rick Scott also keeps in contact with Mr. Trump. The old joke is that every senator wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror, and sees a president. Though he himself sought the Oval Office, Graham came to realize that his greatest value to the conservative movement was to be the man who could move things for Mr. Trump on the Hill. The next few months will be telling in who emerges as the president’s new confidant inside the weekly Senate Republican lunch.

Welcome to Washington: Who Will Be the Senate Republicans’ Next Trump Whisperer?

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