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Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamSunday shows preview: Manchin makes the rounds after pivotal role in coronavirus relief debate Georgia DA investigating Trump taps racketeering expert for probe: report GOP votes in unison against COVID-19 relief bill MORE (R-S.C.) said in an interview that aired Sunday that he thinks former President TrumpDonald TrumpBiden to sign executive order aimed at increasing voting access Albany Times Union editorial board calls for Cuomo’s resignation Advocates warn restrictive voting bills could end Georgia’s record turnout MORE can make the GOP “bigger” and “stronger,” or he “could destroy it.”

Graham, who has been considered an ally and defender of Trump since his election, told “Axios on HBO” that Trump encompasses a “bigger-than-life deal,” describing the former president as “sort of a cross between Jesse Helms, Ronald Reagan and P.T. Barnum.”

“He could make the Republican Party something that nobody else I know could make it,” the Republican senator said. “He could make it bigger. He could make it stronger. He could make it more diverse. And he also could destroy it.”

The South Carolina senator described the former president as having both a “dark side” and “some magic there.”

“What I’m trying to do is just harness the magic,” Graham said, noting that past Republican presidential nominees John McCainJohn Sidney McCainFormer Trump Defense chief Esper to join McCain Institute We need an independent 1/6 commission that the whole country can have confidence in GOP targets Manchin, Sinema, Kelly on Becerra MORE and Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyDemocratic centrists flex power on Biden legislation Ron Johnson grinds Senate to halt, irritating many Romney’s TRUST Act is a Trojan Horse to cut seniors’ benefits MORE weren’t successful in their runs like Trump was.

“I want us to continue the policies that I think will make America strong,” Graham told Axios’s Jonathan Swan. “I believe the best way for the Republican Party to do that is with Trump, not without Trump.”

Graham had publicly challenged Trump’s mental fitness to handle the presidency ahead of the 2016 election. But after Trump defeated Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillicon Valley: China implicated in Microsoft breach | White House adds Big Tech critic | QAnon unfazed after false prediction Jill Biden redefines role of first lady QAnon supporters unfazed after another false prediction MORE, Graham welcomed the former president.

Graham stood by Trump throughout most of his presidency, although he condemned Trump for his role in the Capitol riot in January, saying in a floor speech hours later that “enough is enough.” 

The senator’s comments come as the Republican Party is determining how much of a role the former president will play in the GOP after his one-term presidency. 

In his first major address since leaving office, Trump spoke to supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week in an effort to solidify his leadership role in the party and tease a potential 2024 presidential run.