Donald Trump surprised CNN by calling in live to honor the late Senator Lindsey Graham and vowed to steer the network onto a normal path.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— In an unscripted exchange that quickly reverberated across the national media landscape, President Donald Trump used a surprise live appearance on CNN to reignite his long-running critique of the cable news network, asserting an intention to steer the broadcaster toward what he characterized as a “normal path.”
The unsolicited remark capped a brief telephone call-in to CNN’s flagship Sunday public affairs broadcast, State of the Union, on July 12, 2026. Trump broke an extended, multi-year boycott of the network’s live programs to deliver on-air tributes following the sudden death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the influential South Carolina Republican and key legislative confidant to the White House who passed away at 71 on July 11 after a brief illness.