The annual dinner is attended by members of the press and features elected officials trying their hand at comedy.
“If you kill Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody could convict you,” Graham joked, regarding how unpopular Cruz is among his peers.
Graham also asserted that the Republican party has gone “batsh*t crazy,” speaking of the current field.
During the dinner, Graham noted that, after he dropped out, he endorsed Jeb Bush, who dropped out shortly thereafter. Graham then pulled out a white “Make America Great Again” hat, put it on, and said “I endorse Donald Trump and hope the Graham magic still exists!”
The Senator also addressed claims that Cruz was born in Canada and is not eligible for election. “I will say that our Canadian is better than your Kenyan,” Graham said, referencing a still circulating rumor that Obama was not born in the US.
“I know exactly when Ted is going to drop out of the race. March 12 – that’s Canadian week in Myrtle Beach, when all of our Canadian friends get 10% off,” he continued.
Graham also referred to 44-year-old Marco Rubio as “the boy wonder.”
“I’m not saying he would change his positions, but he would change his positions,” he joked about Rubio’s changing stance on immigration. He then added, “the Secret Service’s main job if he’s president is to keep him hydrated,” referring to the time when the Senator paused during his response to the State of the Union address to sneak a sip of water.
