Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican and key Trump ally known for his hawkish foreign policy positions, died unexpectedly at age 71, his office announced on Sunday. The South Carolina senator passed away from a brief and sudden illness on Saturday evening, according to a statement posted on his official X account.
Emergency services responded to a cardiac arrest call at Graham's Capitol Hill residence on Saturday night, NBC News reported, citing police scanner audio. He had been set to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" the following morning.
Graham was a steadfast backer of military intervention in Iran and, in recent years, consistently pressed both the Trump and Biden administrations to support Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion. He had just returned from a trip to Kyiv on Friday when he spoke with Trump on Saturday evening, the former president revealed.
"It could have been his last call," Trump said during his appearance on "Meet the Press," where he paid tribute to the late senator. Trump described Graham as a hard-working politician with a unique gift for building relationships across party lines.
Graham's journey with Trump proved complicated. A decade earlier, he mounted a failed presidential campaign and warned Republicans against backing Trump, branding him a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot." The two men's relationship came under further strain after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, when Graham declared "count me out, enough is enough."
Yet Graham ultimately reconciled with Trump and supported his re-election bid, despite voting against conviction in Trump's impeachment trial following the insurrection. "He's a tough one to lose.
He was great. He was unique in every way," Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mourned the loss, noting that Graham had visited Ukraine ten times since Russia's full-scale invasion began. Zelensky said Graham stood with the Ukrainian people during their darkest hours and called him a "determined leader" whom both America and the world had lost.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also released a statement honouring Graham. "Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine," Netanyahu said, praising Graham's conviction that Israeli and American security are inextricably linked.
Graham had recently secured his party's nomination for a fourth Senate term in November's elections. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster will need to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Graham's current term while the state organises a primary election to determine his successor.
