WASHINGTON: A leading Republican politician, Senator Lindsey Graham, has said that a Democrat in the White House would be better than Donald Trump, the US media reported on Monday.

The senator from South Carolina, who was also a candidate for the 2016 presidential election but opted out on Dec 21, conveyed this message during a weekend interview to Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, whom Mr Trump ridiculed during a presidential debate.

“Due to Donald Trump’s unrelenting and offensive attack on Megyn Kelly and others, we are at a crossroads with Mr Trump,” Senator said. “I applaud Erick Erickson (a conservative blogger) for doing the right thing when he disinvited Donald Trump from a gathering of Republican activists.”

Senator Graham said that it would be better for the Republican Party “to risk losing without Donald Trump than trying to win with him. Enough already with Mr Trump.”

Mr Erickson disinvited Mr Trump from this weekend’s RedState2015 gathering. Mr Trump was scheduled to speak on Saturday evening, but Mr Erickson said Trump’s statement was “a bridge too far”, Senator Graham agreed. “These statements are not worthy of the office he is seeking nor consistent with the leadership we should expect in a Commander-in-Chief in these dangerous times,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2016