President Donald Trump will help Washington bid farewell to Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday, weeks after revealing that the South Carolina Republican spent their final conversation fighting for one last political priority.
Graham called Trump shortly after returning from Ukraine on July 11, the night he died unexpectedly at 71.
“We’re all set for the SAVE America Act,” Graham told the president, according to Trump’s July 12 interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Trump said Graham sounded tired following the lengthy overseas trip but otherwise appeared fine. The senator remained focused on advancing the Republican election-integrity bill and expected to see the president again soon.
“I’ll see you soon,” Trump remembered telling him.
Hours later, Trump received word that Graham had died. Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner later identified the cause as an aortic dissection stemming from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
“It could have been his last call,” Trump said.
The conversation was vintage Graham: back in Washington after another international trip and immediately pressing the president about unfinished business.
Trump recalled that the senator’s relentless commitment to politics made it nearly impossible to imagine him doing anything else. He had endorsed Graham’s reelection bid and believed the veteran lawmaker was cruising toward another decisive victory.
The president also offered an unusually Trumpian assessment of his late friend during a subsequent “Fox & Friends” interview, rating Graham a 99.9 out of 100.
Trump said Graham lost a fraction of a point over “one bad moment”: his brief break with the president following the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
Graham took to the Senate floor that night and declared that he had reached the end of his journey with Trump. According to the president, however, Graham called him less than an hour later and immediately expressed regret over what he had said.
Trump therefore gave him “a 99.9 instead of 100,” according to People.
The remark captured the unconventional friendship between the two Republicans, who began as bitter rivals during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Graham warned Republicans against nominating Trump, while Trump routinely mocked Graham’s struggling campaign. Their relationship changed after Trump easily defeated him and the rest of the Republican field.
Trump said Graham respected his victory, and their friendship gradually grew. Graham eventually became one of Trump’s most reliable allies and advisers, particularly on judicial nominations and foreign policy.
Despite frequently teasing Graham, Trump offered rare praise for the senator’s political abilities.
Trump called him one of the “top 10 in politics” and said Graham possessed a nearly unmatched ability to win over both Republicans and Democrats. While recalling his friend’s effectiveness in the Senate, Trump acknowledged that viewers had “probably never heard me say that about anybody.”
Graham was a frequent visitor to the White House, where Trump relied on him as a gauge of the Senate’s mood and a go-between when the administration needed help winning over resistant lawmakers.
Trump also credited Graham’s fiery defense of Brett Kavanaugh with helping save the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation. The president described the exchange as one of the most consequential performances in Senate history.
Beneath the jokes and political reminiscing, Trump made clear that Graham’s death represented a personal and national loss.
“The real loser was the United States of America,” Trump said in remarks later collected by the White House.
Trump predicted that Graham would receive greater appreciation after his death and told Fox News that a “special type of funeral” was being arranged for the senator.
That farewell will begin Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol, where Graham’s remains will be carried into the Rotunda by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team in recognition of his decades of military service.
The casket will later be taken to Washington National Cathedral for an invitation-only service beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. Trump is scheduled to deliver a tribute, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who served alongside Graham for more than a decade, called his friend “irreplaceable.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) remembered him as a “Senator. Warrior. Patriot. Statesman.”
Every member of the Senate also co-sponsored a resolution honoring Graham’s life, which passed unanimously.
Following the Washington service, Graham’s remains will return to South Carolina. A public procession, F-16 flyover and funeral service will be held Wednesday before a private family burial in Pickens County, according to the official funeral schedule.
