\n<\/p>\n
Lindsey Graham<\/strong>\u2019s death is a personal blow to Donald Trump<\/strong>, for whom he was a political cheerleader and frequent golf partner. The president praised Graham, one of his closest allies, on Truth Social and said details on funeral arrangements would follow.<\/p>\n double quotation markSenator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known<\/strong>, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot.<\/strong> Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!<\/p>\n <\/span>Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham during a campaign rally for his re-election in North Charleston, South Carolina, on 28 February 2020.<\/span> Photograph: Al Drago\/EPAShare<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lindsey Graham<\/strong> made a name for himself with his work on foreign policy and was a leading voice in Washington for unwavering US support for Ukraine<\/strong>, urging both the Trump and Biden administrations to back Kyiv\u2019s fight against Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/p>\n Just last week, he had visited Ukraine. Following their last meeting on Friday – which would also turn out to be Graham\u2019s final public appearance – Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> wrote<\/a> on social media: \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Lindsey for recognizing our warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n Paying tribute to Graham today, Zelenskyy said he was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by his death and that the world had lost \u201ca determined leader\u201d. He wrote<\/a> on X:<\/p>\n double quotation markDeeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was a true defender of freedom<\/strong> and the values that make our world safer.<\/p>\n He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed. We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations. We met twice in just the past week.<\/strong><\/p>\n A staunch advocate for bipartisan and bicameral support for Ukraine, in recent weeks, he had been working on important initiatives that could help bring peace closer<\/strong>, including stronger sanctions against Russia. We will always be especially grateful for the recognition of our people and words of admiration for the courage of Ukraine\u2019s defenders.<\/p>\n America and the world have lost a determined leader.<\/strong><\/p>\n Our condolences go out to Lindsey\u2019s family, loved ones, and everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him.<\/p>\n <\/span>Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Lindsey Graham in Kyiv on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office\/APShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.07 EDT<\/p>\n The statement issued by Lindsey Graham<\/strong>\u2019s office said only that the senator had \u201cpassed away from a brief and sudden illness\u201d. It gave no further details.<\/p>\n Citing police scanner audio, the Washington Post (paywall) reports<\/a> that emergency medical services had received a call at about 8.30pm on Saturday for a person suffering chest pains at Graham\u2019s home on Capitol Hill. About 25 minutes later, according to the Post, emergency personnel said CPR was in progress and a man was suffering cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n ShareDavid Smith<\/span><\/p>\n Lindsey Graham<\/strong> grew up in Central, a small town in South<\/strong> Carolina<\/strong>, where his parents ran a restaurant and pool hall. He was the first member of his family to go to college, earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n He served as an air force lawyer then joined the South Carolina Air National Guard. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and was a manager during Bill Clinton<\/strong>\u2019s 1999 impeachment trial.<\/p>\n Elected to the Senate in 2002, Graham carved out a reputation as one of Capitol Hill\u2019s most outspoken foreign policy hawks<\/strong>. He supported the US war in Iraq<\/strong> and had long urged military action in Iran<\/strong>. He opposed the nuclear agreement negotiated by Barack Obama<\/strong> and had been one of Trump\u2019s staunchest defenders in the current conflict.<\/p>\n He briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and was initially a sharp critic of Trump<\/strong>, then the insurgent frontrunner. He condemned Trump as a \u201cjackass<\/strong>\u201d, \u201ca race-baiting bigot<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cthe most flawed nominee in the history of the Republican part<\/strong>y\u201d, memorably warning on Twitter:<\/p>\n double quotation markIf we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed \u2026 and we will deserve it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump, in turn, dismissed Graham as an \u201cidiot\u201d and a \u201clightweight\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/span>Lindsey Graham gestures at Donald Trump as the president speaks with reporters on Air Force One on 4 January 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Brandon\/AP<\/p>\n But the relationship was transformed after Trump entered the White House and Graham became one of the president\u2019s closest confidants.<\/strong> He emerged as a key adviser on foreign policy, particularly Iran and Russia<\/strong>. He also rallied the defence of Trump\u2019s embattled nominee for the supreme court, Brett<\/strong> Kavanaugh<\/strong>, in 2018.<\/p>\n Graham wobbled only after Trump\u2019s supporters staged an insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021<\/strong> in an effort to overturn his election defeat. The senator declared:<\/p>\n double quotation markTrump and I, we\u2019ve had a hell of a journey<\/strong> \u2013 I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he\u2019s been a consequential president but today, first thing you\u2019ll see. All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n His rebellion did not last, however, and he refused to vote to convict Trump at the subsequent impeachment trial. He was again quick to endorse Trump in the 2024 presidential election.<\/strong><\/p>\n Graham\u2019s death marks the passing of the last of the \u201cthree amigos\u201d, comprising Graham, Joe Lieberman<\/strong> and John McCain<\/strong>, senators and close friends who each made unsuccessful bids for the presidency. McCain died in 2018, Lieberman in 2024.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Lindsey Graham<\/strong>\u2019s death is a personal blow to Donald Trump<\/strong>, for whom he was a political cheerleader and frequent golf partner. The president praised Graham, one of his closest allies, on Truth Social and said details on funeral arrangements would follow.<\/p>\n double quotation markSenator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known<\/strong>, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot.<\/strong> Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!<\/p>\n <\/span>Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham during a campaign rally for his re-election in North Charleston, South Carolina, on 28 February 2020.<\/span> Photograph: Al Drago\/EPAShare<\/p>\n David Smith<\/span><\/p>\n Lindsey Graham, a longtime US senator and key ally of Donald Trump, has died from a sudden illness, his office said on Sunday. He had just turned 71.<\/strong><\/p>\n Graham\u2019s abrupt death will send shock waves through Washington and the Republican party. He had served in the Senate since 2003, representing South Carolina, and was running for re-election in November.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the evening of Saturday 11 July, US senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,\u201d his office said in a statement. \u201cSenator Graham\u2019s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Trump praises Graham as ‘one of the greatest people I have ever known’ Lindsey Graham\u2019s death is a personal blow to Donald Trump, for whom he was a political cheerleader and frequent golf partner. The president praised Graham, one of his closest allies, on Truth Social and said details on funeral arrangements would follow. double 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NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Trump praises Graham as ‘one of the greatest people I have ever known’ Lindsey Graham\u2019s death is a personal blow to Donald Trump, for whom he was a political cheerleader and frequent golf partner. The president praised Graham, one of his closest allies, on Truth Social and said details on funeral arrangements would follow. double…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35550,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35548\/revisions\/35550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}‘True defender of freedom’: Zelenskyy pays tribute to Graham’s support of Ukraine<\/h2>\n
Trump praises Graham as ‘one of the greatest people I have ever known’<\/h2>\n
Senator Lindsey Graham has died after sudden illness, his office says<\/h2>\n