Sen. Lindsey Graham joked about the rocky start to his relationship with President Donald Trump in a speech Thursday.
"So President Trump and I did not start off well," the South Carolina Republican said at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside Washington. "I remember being there the night he got elected and he said, 'Hey, Lindsey, I don't have your phone number,' and I said, 'There's a reason for that.' "
Graham was a primary opponent of Trump's in 2016 and one of Trump's harshest critics within the GOP leading up to, and immediately after, the 2016 election.
Graham has since fallen in behind the President as a fierce supporter. He told CNN in October that although Trump "can be a handful," he wants to see the President succeed and enjoys the ability to influence Trump by staying in the President's corner.
He repeated those sentiments Thursday.
"I couldn't be more proud of the fact that he talks to me and asks my opinion," Graham said. "And we've got a lot in common now: I like him and he likes him."