Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday defended President Trump’s controversial affordability remarks, describing his stance on the Iran war as his “Churchill moment” in spite of the financial hurdles faced by Americans.

“That’s his Churchill moment. When Churchill came into power, he promised ‘blood, sweat, toil, heartache, until we deal with the Nazis, who are an existential threat to the British way of life.’ And if Hitler had taken charge of the planet, it would have been the darkest hour in humanity,” Graham said during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

His comments referred to Trump’s comments last week, when he said he doesn’t “think about” Americans’ financial situation as it relates to the war and that he is keeping his focus on ensuring Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.

“I believe Iran wants the nuclear weapon. They would use it. So does President Trump. And they would use it for their religious agenda. They would destroy the Jewish state. They would eventually hold us hostage,” Graham told host Kristen Welker.

“Do I worry about gas prices? Yes. But President Trump’s right. The biggest threat to the hostility in the world is a nuke-armed Iran. And whatever price we have to pay, we will pay. What did Churchill say? Whatever price we have to pay to beat Hitler, we will pay. Same with Iran,” he added.

Graham not only defended Trump’s remarks but encouraged the president to relaunch strikes on Iran.

“I think we hit a wall on dealmaking. I would encourage the president to look at reducing Iran’s military capability even further. They’ve been dramatically weakened, but there’s still targets that could weaken them more militarily,” the South Carolina senator said Sunday.

“And I would also keep the embargo on to weaken their economy. And I’d let the Iranians know, ‘If you keep terrorizing the region, Kharg Island, which is your source of revenue, will be in play.’ I think that would be the smart next play,” he added.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.