Donald Trump under fire after endorsing Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister to replace him

Donald Trump has sparked debate after endorsing the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham to fill his seat.

In case you missed it, South Carolina's senator Lindsey Graham passed away on Saturday (11 July) at age 71 due to an ‘aortic dissection’.

Since his passing, the US President has suggested that Graham's younger sister Darline Graham Nordone should be appointed to serve the remaining months of his Senate term.

Trump described the move to appoint his sister as a ‘tribute’ to Graham, who never married or had children - though it hasn't exactly gone down well.

Donald Trump has suggested Lindsey Graham's sister as the late senator's replacement. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Shortly after the president made his suggestion, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster confirmed on Monday (13 July) that Graham’s younger sister Darline would, in fact, take her late brother's now vacant seat.

Accepting the appointment, Nordone stated in a press conference that she would 'finish his work for him.'

Nordone, who was legally adopted by Graham after the pair lost their parents when he was 22, told press: “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him.”

The decision hasn't landed well online, though, with Trump's endorsement sparking uproar and prompting a wider conversation about how vacant political seats are filled.

Critics have questioned whether Trump should have recommended a family member to fill in for such a powerful position.

Trump's endorsement didn't go down well. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Some critics took to social media to question whether Nordone deserved the position.

Posting to X, one person commented: “Full monarchy mode. Beyond parody, [they] are literally appointing a completely unqualified person because she is the heiress to the senatorial throne.”

A second furious user wrote: “No. Get Nepotism out of politics. That’s the problem now is they and their family stay in for too long. All they do is get in and enrich themselves in their family. Get some new fresh meat that doesn’t know all the crooked ways.!”

Another joked: “Lindsey Graham’s sister randomly gets his job because he died?? Do I become a neuroscientist at Cornell when my sister dies because I’m not ready for that.”

And a fourth teased: “Is this part of America's constitution or did they just make it up?”

To answer that very valid question, the truth is that the process of a family member being appointed to a political role after a lawmaker’s death is actually quite common in the US.

This isn't the first time a family member has been appointed to fill a seat. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A stat from the US House of Representatives claims that 45 widowed women have succeeded their late partners in positions Congress, according to BBC News.

But, there is no rule that automatically passes a Senate seat down to a relative or next of kin. Instead, the process depends on the laws in each state.

In South Carolina, the governor has the authority to appoint someone to temporarily fill a Senate vacancy until a successor is elected.

In this case, Governor McMaster appointed Nordone after Donald Trump publicly backed her for the role.

Either way, Nordone will now serve the remaining months of her brother’s term before voters get the final say on who takes the seat next.