Lindsey Graham said Donald Trump could lose the election if he keeps playing 'the showman'

• Lindsey Graham said Donald Trump could lose the election if he keeps playing the "showman."
• This is at least the second time the senator has critiqued Trump's campaigning style.
• Graham, who used to be a vocal critic of Trump, is now one of his staunchest allies.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has once again shared some critical campaign notes for former President Donald Trump.

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, the senator said he thinks Trump can win the election if he focuses on policy.

"His policies are good for America. If you have a policy debate for president, he wins," Graham said.

However, he added: "Donald Trump, the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election."

Trump has unleashed a barrage of gender- and race-driven attacks on Kamala Harris ever since she became the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden quit the race in July.

Notably, this is not the first time Graham has suggested Trump change his line of attack on Harris' campaign.

In a "Fox News Sunday" interview on August 4, Graham said that instead of attacking Harris' heritage, Trump should go after her judgment.

"Every day, we're talking about her heritage and not her terrible, dangerous liberal record throughout her entire political life," Graham said. He did not specify what parts of her record he was referring to.

"So, I would encourage President Trump to prosecute the case against Kamala Harris' bad judgment," he said. "This is your election to lose. It's important to win."

Trump's former presidential nominee rival, Nikki Haley, echoed Graham's sentiments in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report" on August 13.

"The campaign is not going to win talking about crowd sizes, it's not going to win talking about what race Kamala Harris is, it's not going to win talking about whether she's dumb," Haley said. "You can't win on those things."

"I think the campaign needs to focus," she added.

Graham, who was a vocal critic of Trump before the latter became president in 2020, has since positioned himself as Trump's ally.

Representatives for Trump and Graham did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.