“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote on Truth Social

NEED TO KNOW

• Sen. Lindsey Graham died after a “brief and sudden illness” on Saturday, July 11
• President Donald Trump described the South Carolina politician as “one of the greatest people” in a tribute shared on social media
• Graham became a Trump ally in recent years despite several previous clashes

Sen. Lindsey Graham is being honored by President Donald Trump despite their complex relationship over the years.

The South Carolina lawmaker’s office announced in a statement shared on social media that he died after a “brief and sudden illness” on Saturday, July 11. Graham was 71.

In a tribute on Truth Social, Trump, 80, wrote: “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The social media post came after Graham and Trump displayed an ever-changing relationship throughout their political careers.

Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, earning the reputation as one of Washington’s most outspoken voices on foreign policy.

Back in 2015, he publicly called out Trump during a CNN interview for being “a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot,” while condemning his position in the Republican Party and accusing him of tarnishing the party’s history.

During his brief presidential campaign in 2016, the South Carolina politician continued to be a sharp critic of frontrunner Trump. “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it,” he wrote on X at the time.

However, he became an avid supporter once Trump entered the White House and served as a key adviser on foreign policy, particularly Iran and Russia. Graham also supported Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, in 2018.

During the 2020 election, Graham backed Trump while turning against his longtime friend and opposing presidential candidate Joe Biden.

In an interview with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, Biden called Graham “a personal disappointment,” adding, “because I was a personal friend of his. But look, I think I can work with Republican leadership in the House and the Senate and get things done.”

Graham’s allegiance to Trump wavered after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol, saying at the time, “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey – I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president but today, first thing you’ll see. All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough,” per The Guardian.

Graham then urged Trump to “speak up” in support of the public getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Aug. 2021, while running his own campaign for Americans to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the disease.

In the years that followed, he remained a close ally of Trump and endorsed the president in the 2024 election. He also refused to vote to convict the president at his impeachment trial.

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Earlier this year, however, The New York Times obtained a more telling transcript of secret grand jury testimony Graham gave in the Georgia election interference case against Trump and his allies. 

“I have told him more times than we can count that he fell short,” Graham told the grand jury of Trump in 2022, adding, “If you told him Martians came and stole votes, he’d be inclined to believe it … I’m sorry he lost. But he lost it.”

The transcripts were part of the investigative file in the election interference case, brought by Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani T. Willis. Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in the case on election interference charges in 2023, but the case was dismissed in November 2025. Graham was recommended for indictment but was never charged. 

Graham’s death occurred just hours before he was scheduled to appear on NBC News’ Meet the Press to discuss his recent trip to Ukraine.

“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” a statement from Graham’s office read. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

According to NBC News emergency services responded to reports of a “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night. His official cause of death has not been publicly confirmed at this time.

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