Senator Lindsey Graham, the longtime Republican lawmaker from South Carolina and one of President Donald Trump’s closest political allies, has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.”
Graham’s office announced that he passed away on the evening of Saturday, July 11, asking for privacy on behalf of his family during what it called an incredibly difficult time.
NBC News reported that emergency services responded to a call involving cardiac arrest at Graham’s Washington, D.C., home on Saturday night. According to the report, CPR was performed. As of publication, no official cause of death has been released.
President Trump leads tributes
President Donald Trump was among the first national leaders to respond publicly, sharing a message on Truth Social honoring his longtime friend and political ally.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Tributes also poured in from across the United States and abroad.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster described Graham as “irreplaceable,” calling him “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America” and “a loyal and steadfast friend.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog remembered Graham as a “dear friend,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had lost “one of its greatest friends” and that America had lost “a great patriot.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also paid tribute, describing Graham as “a true defender of freedom” who consistently supported Ukraine throughout the country’s war with Russia.
A career spanning decades of public service
Graham served in the U.S. Senate since first being elected in 2002 and was most recently chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.
Before joining the Senate, he represented South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives after first being elected in 1994.
Outside elected office, Graham also built a lengthy military career. He served as an Air Force lawyer before joining the South Carolina Air National Guard and later the Air Force Reserve, ultimately retiring with the rank of colonel after more than three decades of military service.
Throughout his years in Washington, Graham became widely known for his strong positions on national security and foreign policy. He was a longtime advocate for a robust U.S. military and consistently supported policies aimed at strengthening America’s allies abroad.
From political rival to close ally
Graham briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination during the 2016 election cycle and was initially one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics.
However, after Trump secured the nomination and later entered the White House, the two developed a close political relationship.
In recent years, Graham became one of Trump’s most trusted allies, frequently advising the president on foreign policy issues and remaining a prominent voice within the Republican Party.
Just one day before his death, Graham had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv. He later announced that an agreement had been reached with the Trump administration to advance bipartisan legislation targeting countries purchasing Russian energy.
Graham never married and had no children.
His death marks the end of more than three decades of public service that included military duty, time in the House of Representatives and over twenty years in the U.S. Senate, where he became one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable and influential voices.
