President Donald Trump said that Senator Lindsey Graham was a “tough one to lose” and “like a member of the family” after the South Carolina Republican died suddenly on Saturday evening.
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday morning, Trump said he spoke to Graham over the phone sometime around 7 p.m. on Saturday evening. He said the fourth-term senator, who just returned from a trip to Ukraine, “sounded a little tired.”
The 71-year-old senator died after a brief and sudden illness, his office said. 911 audio revealed emergency responders were called to his Capitol Hill home around 8.30 p.m. for a person suffering from cardiac arrest.
A staunch advocate of a hawkish foreign policy, Graham aggressively backed the war with Iran and pressed for a stronger U.S. commitment to Ukraine. Over time, he also shifted from being an intense Trump critic to one of the president’s most prominent supporters on Capitol Hill.
Numerous U.S. politicians and world leaders paid tribute to Graham, many noting his relentless dedication to his work.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday that, in response to Graham’s death, the agency is “assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available.”
Pinned
Working until the end: Senator Lindsey Graham's last days
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was working and traveling abroad in the lead up to his death on Saturday evening. Here is a brief timeline:
- Thursday, July 9: Graham highlighted the opening of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s port facility in Charleston. “I fought to secure funding for the pier’s renovation that will support NOAA’s critical missions,” he wrote on X.
- Friday, July 10: Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, his tenth visit to the war-torn country. He announced that he reached an agreement with the White House on a bill to sanction Russia.
- Saturday, July 11, at about 7 p.m.: President Trump spoke over the phone with Graham. Trump said the South Carolina senator had just returned from Ukraine and that he “sounded a little tired.” The men discussed the SAVE America Act, a GOP-backed bill that would require new voters to provide proof of citizenship. Trump said it may have been Graham’s last call.
- Saturday, July 11 at about 8:30 p.m.: 911 dispatch audio indicated that EMS responded to a call at Graham’s Washington D.C. home for a cardiac arrest.
- Sunday, July 12 at 2:02 a.m.: Graham’s office released a statement saying Graham “passed away from a brief and sudden illness.” The statement added: “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Senator says Graham was 'exuberant' when he spoke to him this week
In a post on X, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said that when he last spoke to Graham, he was “as enthusiastic & exuberant as I’ve ever seen him.”
Blumenthal, a Democrat, joined Graham in traveling to Ukraine this week.
Graham toured a drone facility in Ukraine on the day before his death: report
The day before his death, Senator Lindsey Graham toured a drone facility in Ukraine owned by defense company SkyFall, Ukraine Pravda reported.
During the Friday visit, the South Carolina lawmaker was shown the development process for various weapons, including the Vampire bomber drone.
Graham returned from Ukraine shortly before his death on Saturday, President Trump said.
Rubio: 'Lindsey was a patriot and dedicated public servant'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Graham’s passing.
“Lindsey was a patriot and dedicated public servant,” Rubio wrote on X on Sunday. “He loved South Carolina and America, and dedicated decades to defending both. Jeanette and I are praying for him and his family — may he rest in peace.”
Rubio and Graham both ran against Trump in the 2016 election. At the time, both men were critical of the billionaire real estate developer.
Ted Cruz remembers Graham as a 'fearless patriot'
“Lindsey was a fearless patriot, a devoted public servant, and one of the fiercest advocates for America’s national security,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz wrote on X on Sunday. “He loved this country deeply, and he dedicated his life to defending it.”
Kash Patel says FBI is ‘assisting local authorities’ after Lindsey Graham’s death
The FBI is assisting local authorities following the death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, officials said.
The 71-year-old Republican died from a “brief and sudden illness” Saturday night, his office said without sharing details about the illness. On Friday, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine, marking his tenth visit to the war-torn country.
FBI Director Kash Patel remembered Graham as a “devoted public servant, a fierce defender of our nation, and a true patriot who dedicated his life to the people of South Carolina and the United States” in a statement Sunday.
Isabel Keane reports…
Kash Patel says FBI is ‘assisting local authorities’ after Lindsey Graham’s death
The South Carolina Republican died Saturday from a ‘brief and sudden illness,’ his office said Brendan Rascius
Zelenskyy describes Graham as 'a true defender of freedom'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Lindsey Graham’s death, describing the South Carolina senator as “a true defender of freedom.”
“He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia's full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed,” the president wrote on X on Sunday. “We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations. We met twice in just the past week.”
Graham was in Ukraine on Friday, one day before his death.
Trump orders 'all American Flags' to be flown at half-mast
President Donald Trump has ordered that all American flags be flown at half mast until Saturday in honor of Lindsey Graham.
“In honor of the remarkable life and achievements of Senator Lindsey Graham, a dear friend of mine, and a truly great man, who achieved so much for our Country, and his beloved Home State of South Carolina, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Saturday evening at 6 P.M.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after 12 p.m. on Sunday. “GOD BLESS YOU LINDSEY!”
Graham was one of the strongest supporters of the Iran war
Before his death, Lindsey Graham had emerged as one of the Iran war’s most forceful champions, repeatedly pressing for a more expansive U.S. military campaign.
“This has been an amazing military operation,” Graham said during a March interview with Fox News. He also urged the U.S. to invade Kharg Island, a critical Iranian oil hub just off the mainland. “We did Iwo Jima. We can do this,” he said.
That same month, Graham triggered some backlash when he said: “I'm going back to South Carolina, I am asking them to send their sons and daughters to the Mideast.”
Multiple recent polls indicate the Iran conflict remains broadly unpopular with Americans.
Nancy Mace expresses openness to replacing Lindsey Graham
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican firebrand who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year, said she would consider running for Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat.
“I’m never gonna shut the door,” she told Fox News on Sunday. “I love the state of South Carolina. You only live once, and you know, if the people of South Carolina would like me to serve in that capacity, I’ll certainly take a look at it.”
Mace won just 12 percent of the vote in South Carolina’s Republican primary for governor last month.