U.S. and world leaders pay tribute to Lindsey Graham following sudden death

Washington — Tributes began pouring in early Sunday as foreign leaders and American politicians reacted to the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died after a “brief and sudden illness” Saturday.

Graham, a four-term senator and outspoken foreign policy hawk, was 71. He passed away Saturday evening, his office announced. No further details about his death were immediately available.

The unexpected news sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond.

President Trump called Graham “one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known.”

“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” the president said in a post on Truth Social, adding that details and arrangements would follow.

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president said he spoke with Graham Saturday evening, for what “could have been his last call.” The president said Graham — who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine — seemed tired but “sounded great, actually.”

“He was like a member of the family to me,” Mr. Trump said, calling Graham “such an advocate.”

Mr. Trump later ordered that all American flags throughout the United States be lowered to half-staff in Graham’s honor until Saturday evening. 

Vice President JD Vance, who previously served in the Senate with Graham, recalled a heated disagreement he had with Graham over Ukraine aid — followed by their cooperation on other legislation.

“That was Lindsey Graham. He fought like hell for the things he believed in, and he was just as willing to go to bat for you when it counted,” Vance wrote on X. “We certainly had our disagreements. But I couldn’t help but like him. A one of a kind figure in our politics.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said “my heart is heavy this morning to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague.”

“Lindsey’s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world,” the Republican leader said in a post on X. “He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.”

Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Graham “fought passionately for the Palmetto State,” adding that his “influence on the federal judiciary, our national defense, and his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations.”

The majority leader called Graham a “trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel.”

International leaders remember Graham

Graham’s relationships with world leaders were on display Sunday as they paid tribute to his work and friendship.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with Graham days ago in Kyiv, called the South Carolina Republican “a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” adding that “America and the world have lost a determined leader.”

“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,” Zelenskyy said. “We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations. We met twice in just the past week.”

While in Kyiv, Graham announced that lawmakers had reached an agreement with the White House on a Russian sanctions bill the president would support, perhaps Graham’s final major achievement. 

Graham was also a backer of the U.S.-Israel alliance and favored a hardline stance toward Iran. Early Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Graham a “great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine.”

“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netayahu said in a post on X. “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

In a Sunday morning interview on Fox News, Netanyahu said he valued Graham’s “candor” and “honesty.”

“There was no BS. He just was so direct. And if he wanted to tell you something that you may not like, he would just do it,” the Israeli prime minister said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Graham a “great American patriot” and a “true friend of Israel” on X.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he is “so sad to learn of the sudden passing of my friend Lindsey Graham.” 

“He was a powerful advocate for America who believed strongly in the NATO Alliance and was actively working to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Rutte wrote. “My thoughts are with his family, friends, and terrific team. I will miss him dearly.”

U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz said he first met Graham “not as Senator, but as Colonel Graham in the Air National Guard. He insisted on spending his 3 weeks annual training in Afghanistan training Afghan Army JAG officers.”

“From Libya to Lebanon, no member of Congress traveled more to appreciate both the troops and bring ground truth back to legislating,” Waltz said. “Most of all, he talked about helping the people of South Carolina and that our freedoms must be defended by projecting strength. Rest easy, Patriot.”

Biden and Bush recognize Graham

Two former presidents from opposite parties — Joe Biden and George W. Bush — offered praise for the late senator on Sunday.

Biden, who counted Graham as a friend during his time in the Senate, wrote on X that they “traveled the world together” and “worked closely on many issues throughout the years.”

“We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly,” Biden said. “Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.”

In a statement, Bush called Graham a “knowledgeable Senator who understood how the world works and how important America’s international engagement is to resist tyranny.”

“He was a kind and funny man who loved our country and loved serving it,” Bush continued. “South Carolina was fortunate to have such a committed public servant in its corner. And I was fortunate to have known Lindsey Graham.”

South Carolina governor calls Graham “irreplacable”

Back in South Carolina, leaders also paid tribute to Graham. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said “Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable.”

“The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend,” McMaster said. “We grieve with Darline, his family and his devoted staff. May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.”

Republican Sen. Tim Scott, Graham’s counterpart in the Senate, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday: “America certainly has lost a statesman, and I have lost a friend.”

Scott pointed to Graham’s history of “building bridges” — including with Mr. Trump.

“Lindsey Graham being on the phone with the president every single day was helpful, without any question,” Scott said. “The truth of the matter is, it was the bond that he forged on the golf course that made him such a powerful advocate for the president and a powerful advocate for us with the president, and so we’ll need that.”

Other members of the South Carolina congressional delegation remembered Graham and his long history in Congress. 

“He was funny. He was hard. He was smart, brilliant. And he knew how to fight,” GOP Rep. Nancy Mace said on CBS News 24/7. “He was just a force to be reckoned with.”

Rep. Joe Wilson said Graham “will always be cherished as an American Patriot,” while Rep. Ralph Norman called him “a son of South Carolina who loved our state dearly.” Rep. Russell Fry said the “unexpected loss of Senator Lindsey Graham is difficult to comprehend,” calling Graham “an extraordinary public servant” and a “consequential leader.”

“His legacy will be measured not only by history’s biggest moments, but by the countless lives he touched one person, one family, and one community at a time,” Fry said. “South Carolina is better because he served.”

Democrats call Graham an “indispensible player”

Rep. James Clyburn, the South Carolina House delegation’s sole Democrat, said he and Graham had “a relationship grounded in mutual respect, even when our political differences were significant.”

“Our political relationship was sometimes partisan and passionate, but always pleasant and productive on behalf of the people of South Carolina,” Clyburn wrote on X.

Tributes to Graham also came from across the aisle in the Senate, as Democratic senators remembered the South Carolina Republican as a friend and noted his bipartisan work. 

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who partnered with Graham on a bipartisan push to introduce more intense sanctions against Russia, said Graham was “tireless in pursuing freedom for Ukraine.” He also said the late senator “listened to me and others who might have opposing views and sought to bridge our differences.”

“I will forever remember our last lengthy conversation this weekend, when he exulted at reaching an agreement on our Russian sanctions bill and said, ‘this is a big effing deal – we all did good,'” Blumenthal said. “When we last spoke, he was as enthusiastic and exuberant as I’ve ever seen him. Passing the sanctions bill right away would be a fitting tribute.”

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said he “was heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of my friend and colleague,” adding that “Lindsey and I disagreed on plenty over the years, but I never doubted his love for this country or his commitment to serving it.”

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, recalled being with Graham just last week at the NATO Summit in Turkey, where he said the South Carolina Republican was “working every Senator on a strategy to end the war in Ukraine.”

“Lindsey was part of every important policy issue and an indispensable player in every Senate ‘gang,'” Durbin said. “He was a fierce Republican partisan one day and a key bipartisan ally the next.”