Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. For this interview recorded on

the 7th of September, I'm at the Ambersetti Forum, an annual gathering of international politicians

in northern Italy. Attendees have flown in from all corners of the world to discuss a range of

political and economic challenges, but all have an interest in

one simple question. Who will win November's US presidential election? Will Donald Trump make a

dramatic return to the White House? Or will Vice President Kamala Harris become America's first

female president? The polls are tight, while Trump appeared on course for victory

over Joe Biden. His withdrawal and the uncontested nomination of Kamala Harris has re-energized

the Democratic Party and raised questions about Trump's appeal to key swing voters. My guest is

close ally and sometime confidant of Donald Trump, Republican Senator from

South Carolina, Lindsay Graham. He's campaigning hard for Trump, portraying Harris as a grave danger to both

America and the wider world. But is that a winning message? Well, Senator Graham joins me now. Welcome to Hard Talk.

Thank you.

Senator, why has the replacement of Joe Biden with Carmelah Harris on the Democratic side of this presidential race?

Why has it knocked the Trump campaign so badly off balance?

I think it was, it's taken a while for them to get their sea legs, but I think

they're good to go now. I thought he would be replaced. You know, we were all saying as

Republicans, the guy is not capable. He's in decline and all of a sudden he leaves. You know,

it's just switching up Canada's that late, took a while to absorb that. But I think he'd be ready.

This coming Tuesday is the debate, and I think it'll be the, probably while to absorb that. But I think he'd be ready this coming Tuesday is the debate.

And I think it'll be probably the most consequential debate, maybe in a long time, if not ever.

You talk about the way in which for so long the Trump campaign was built around the idea that Joe Biden was too old, he wasn't competent.

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