Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly caused a spectacle during diplomatic talks in Munich by lobbing a sexist insult at Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Graham allegedly addressed Frederiksen as “little lady” as he looked her “straight in the eye” and sneered at her, according to an account from Danish newspaper Berlingske, cited by the Daily Beast.
The Republican senator was reportedly at the Munich Security Conference holding talks with leaders from Denmark and Greenland regarding President Donald Trump’s threats to annex the autonomous territory earlier this year.
Members of the U.S. House and Senate and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen were also at the meeting, which was held to discuss Trump’s threats to annex the autonomous territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally.
Puck first reported on Graham’s alleged meltdown, and cited sources familiar with the talks who claims the senator was “combative” and that he was throwing around “lots of F-bombs.”
One person reportedly described the scene as “Graham on his worst TV day.”
Berlingske cites alleged witnesses who said the debacle was “disturbing,” “shocking” and “extremely inappropriate.”
Another source told the paper that Graham also “yawned directly in his [Nielsen’s] face in a way that could only be perceived as mocking.”
Reports suggest that prior to his outburst, Graham was boasting about Trump and the amount of power he controls.
Democratic Senatir Elissa Slotkin, who was reportedly in attendance, was said to have been so shocked by Graham’s behavior that she walked out of the meeting. She later returned “visibly shaken,” according to reports.
The Independent has requested comment from both Graham and Slotkin.
A day before the alleged incident took place, Slotkin told Bloomberg’s Oliver Crook that actions taken by American leaders could very easily damage the nation’s relationship with long-time allies.
“I think it takes a long time to build trust and an instant to lose it,” Slotkin said. “When you start acting erratically, when you act like a madman and no one knows what you’re going to do next, they can’t trust to make a deal with you, to sign up for something.”
Frederiksen reportedly took the tantrum in stride, waited for Graham to finish, and told him “when you’re done with that, the meeting can continue.”
Graham may have given the world a taste of his reported diplomatic performance on Friday when he made dismissive remarks to Politico about Denmark’s relationship with Greenland.
“Who gives a s*** who owns Greenland,” he told the outlet. “The point is Greenland is going to be more fortified because Donald Trump, once he feels like it’s his brand or his buy-in, is going to go big.”
