Donald Trump spent the morning of Lindsey Graham’s memorial services embarking on a social media frenzy, firing off posts on everything from rappers and shirtless soccer players to self-soothing opinion polls.
As mourners gathered at Capitol Hill to pay their respects to the late Republican senator, the 80-year-old president was at the White House, posting almost 40 times in 40 minutes on his Truth Social platform.
The rapid-fire online blitz was filled with familiar grievances and obsessions.
One post, which Trump liked so much he posted it multiple times, featured a topless Ferran Torres—the Spanish striker who scored the winning goal against Argentina at the World Cup final—wearing a red MAGA-style cap with the slogan “Make Spain Great Again.”
Another post featured an article in which rapper Lil’ Wayne was quoted praising Trump for his White House ballroom, while another linked an article suggesting that half of all Americans doubted the outcome of the 2020 election.
“It was a Rigged Election that we must learn from. Never forget!” Trump wrote.
The extraordinary burst of activity comes at a time when questions about the president’s conduct, temperament and health have come under growing scrutiny.
While Trump has long been known for his prolific social media use, the frequency and intensity of his posting have again drawn scrutiny from critics who say his online behavior has become more erratic during his second term.
Some of his more contentious posts over the past year have included images likening himself to Jesus; a racist animation depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes; and an unhinged post suggesting he would wipe out a “whole civilization” if he didn’t get his way on Iran.
Concerns have even been raised at various committee hearings on Capitol Hill. Last year, for example, Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Trump’s posts, asking him: “Do you believe that the president is mentally stable enough to be the commander-in-chief?”
“Did you ask the same question of Joe Biden for four years?” Hegseth clapped back.
Top doctors have also warned that the president’s late-night social media habits may be making his chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis worse, resulting in his increasingly swollen ankles.
CVI, which occurs when your leg veins do not work properly, making it hard for blood to return to your heart, affects millions of Americans but can be assisted, in part, with decent sleep.
“He’s probably doing all the things people with CVI should not be doing,” Dr Sanjiv Lakhanpal, the founder and chief executive of the Center for Vein Restoration, told The Daily Beast.
“If you don’t maintain a certain kind of lifestyle—which would be maintaining a certain BMI (body mass index)—and you’re up at odd times, and you’re not using compression socks so you’re fatigued, this won’t be helping.”
Also included in Trump’s latest Truth Social frenzy were various posts retweeting MAGA Senator Mike Lee taking aim at Democrat stalwart Elizabeth Warren, including one of an animated Warren grinning and holding a machine gun.
There was also a post demanding former Trump lawyer Todd Blanche be confirmed as the next Attorney General, and another featuring CNN data guru Harry Enten showing that Graham’s sister Darline was the hot favorite to take over her brother’s seat for a full six-year term.
But the wild posts stood in stark contrast to the ceremony Darline was attending around the same time in the Capitol Rotunda, where she wiped away tears as she stood by her brother’s casket.
Vice President JD Vance was there too, along with Graham’s family and Senate colleagues, telling the crowd: “I choose to remember Lindsay Graham as a person who could disagree with you but not be disagreeable.”
He was, according to Vance, a “true American original.”
Trump is expected to deliver remarks on Tuesday afternoon at Graham’s funeral at the Washington Cathedral, which will also be attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, two world leaders who Graham consistently supported.
Earlier, the president phoned into Fox & Friends to pay tribute to his former golfing pal—although things got a little awkward when he was asked to relay a story about what it was like teeing off with Graham.
“Let me put it this way. He loved it—but he wasn’t born to be a golfer,” Trump said.
