The death of Lindsey Graham, amid the most serious political crisis within the Ukrainian government since the 2022 invasion, caused shock in Kiev. For years, the South Carolina senator, one of the leading hawks in foreign policy, had become Ukraine's staunchest advocate within the Republican Party. At a time when much of the conservative movement in the United States was aligning with Moscow and Vladimir Putin, or simply questioning the provision of military aid and calling for a reduction in Washington's commitment to the war, Graham maintained an unwavering position in favor of supplying arms, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and ensuring that Ukraine had the necessary political support to resist and prevail.
For Ukrainian authorities, who are attending his funeral in the United States today, his passing leaves a difficult, almost impossible, void to fill at a critical moment. Graham was not only an influential senator and a close ally of the president, with direct access to the Oval Office. He was also the main interlocutor with Kiev's leaders and a figure capable of bridging gaps with broad sectors in the Capitol and the White House, at least those of the old school.
However, a surprising phenomenon is occurring just weeks after his death. Suddenly, very influential voices from the traditional MAGA universe, traditionally very critical of supporting Ukraine, have changed their discourse. Not just a little, but radically. The most striking case is undoubtedly that of Laura Loomer, one of Washington's most inexplicable figures. A fierce activist on social media, completely devoted to Trumpism, queen of conspiracies, aggressive in disqualification, insensitive to any logic of reason. A person who generates as much fascination as repulsion, detested by much of the White House, but adored and defended by Trump. It's not just that he likes her, receives her, listens to her, but he pays attention to her. For example, when dismissing high-ranking officials from the Executive Branch, in key positions in foreign policy or national security, simply because Loomer decided one day that they were not trustworthy.
This month, Loomer has had a change of heart, not on the road to Damascus, but to Kiev. She has explained that she was wrong, that she had been "a victim of Russian disinformation campaigns" and "their deceptions," and that she had come to hate Ukrainians and Zelenski due to years of online brainwashing. Until she realized they were the heroes of the story. Her conversion is total, to the point that she has just visited Ukraine and met with political leaders of the country, including a recorded interview with Zelenski.
Loomer not only now calls for sending more air defense systems to protect the civilian population from Russian attacks, but she has become the great advocate and lobbyist for the Ukrainian cause in general, much to the Kremlin's dismay. It is the most evident case, but not an isolated one. Other conservative communicators close to Trump's circle have also begun to adopt a less hostile tone towards Ukraine, coinciding with Trump's own tougher stance against Putin.
Last Friday, podcaster and MAGA activist Tim Pool jumped on the bandwagon. "Ukraine has been fighting for its own existence against an evil dictator. Now I see the importance of the Ukrainian victory against Russia. I hope that Trump and the people of the United States lend their support," he wrote on his X account. "Zelenski is the Abraham Lincoln of this generation; he is a hero of the people", he insisted in response to criticisms from his own followers, who had grown accustomed to criticizing and insulting Ukrainians. A spectacular turnaround from someone who not long ago said that Ukraine was "one of the greatest enemies of the United States" and that Washington should cut aid and "apologize to Russia".
The Kremlin Infiltrates the US
Just before the 2024 presidential elections in the US, the Department of Justice dismantled a Kremlin-operated bot farm to interfere in the elections and accused two employees of the Russian TV channel RT of funneling nearly $10 million to covertly finance and direct an online content creation company based in Tennessee. This was Tenet Media, which gave a voice to influencers and propagandists with millions of followers, who, among other things, believed that it was Ukraine and not Russia that was "the real enemy of the US." Among its figures were the aforementioned Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, or Lauren Southern, known for their aggressive tone, conspiracy theories, and alternative right-wing stance. And now they are in a civil war among themselves and against other figures in that world, such as Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, or Megyn Kelly, over support for Russia, Israel, or the president.
The coordinated shift has been interpreted by analysts as evidence that Moscow is running out of money for its campaigns, thus losing its voice. Although these figures do not hold institutional positions or have the legislative capacity that Graham had, a veteran of a quarter-century in the Senate, they do wield considerable influence over millions of Republican voters and contribute to shaping the debate within the MAGA movement. And there are key elections in November where the entire House of Representatives is up for renewal and a third of the Senate.
For Zelenski, who is meeting with Trump at the White House today, this evolution is as unexpected as it is welcome. Doubts remain significant, the heart of the MAGA movement remains isolationist and highly critical of sending money for distant wars, but the atmosphere is nothing like the famous first visit to the White House, where he faced a spectacular ambush on camera.
Making a stop in London before arriving in Washington this Monday, Zelenski stated that since early July, Ukraine has detected that Russian satellites are aiding Iran in attacking the Gulf Arab allies and US military installations in the region. "There is a clear correlation between Russian satellite images of these sites and Iranian attacks, both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and after, to assess the damage caused," he declared. And that will be the basis of his strategy this week, the links between a weakened Putin and an Iran that has become Trump's external nightmare.