Spine Check
‘Destroyed… and we will deserve it’ → then: full-throated defense
Statement date: 2026
Action date: 2017-01-20
Outcome: Public warning about Trump’s damage became political alignment with Trump.
Action date: 2017-01-20
Outcome: Public warning about Trump’s damage became political alignment with Trump.
Spine Card
Person: Lindsey Graham — U.S. Senator (SC)
Statement date: 2016-05-03
Action date: 2017-01-20
Outcome: Public warning about Trump’s damage became political alignment with Trump.
Statement date: 2016-05-03
Action date: 2017-01-20
Outcome: Public warning about Trump’s damage became political alignment with Trump.
What was said
In May 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham posted a warning about the GOP nominating Donald Trump: the party would “get destroyed”… and “deserve it.”
What happened next
After Trump won the nomination and then the presidency, Graham’s posture shifted from critic to ally. The “spine check” here isn’t about whether anyone likes him — it’s about the documented reversal from public warning to public protection.
Receipts timeline
2016-05-03
Graham warns the GOP will be “destroyed” if Trump is nominated.
2017+
Graham increasingly positions himself as a key Republican defender and ally of Trump.
Bottom line
If you publicly say the nominee will wreck the party — and then you become the nominee’s shield — that’s the definition of a Spine Check entry.