News broke overnight Saturday that 71-year-old U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) died following a sudden illness.
As details were still trickling out early Sunday morning, President Donald Trump was among the many public figures who shared their thoughts about the late long-time lawmaker.
Close Trump ally and US senator Lindsey Graham has died aged 71 "from a brief and sudden illness", his office said. The day before he had met President Zelenskyy in Ukraine.https://t.co/lqmwUhIFSt pic.twitter.com/XunUlTdVBE
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 12, 2026
According to The Hill:
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
Graham’s office said the senator died following a “brief and sudden illness” on Saturday evening. Trump and the senator were longtime allies, though both were rivals during the 2016 Republican presidential primary election.
Graham warned in May 2016 that if Trump became the nominee, Republicans “will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it,” he wrote on Twitter, now the social platform X.
The South Carolina Republican has since been a champion of Trump’s foreign policy toward Venezuela, Iran and Cuba in taking action against all three regimes. Graham regularly defended the Trump administration’s actions in his frequent appearances on cable news.
Here’s a sampling of the other social media statements that surfaced early Sunday:
RIP Sen. Lindsay Graham, whose sense of humor was as incisive as his foreign policy expertise. pic.twitter.com/WWsHpw1PDx
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) July 12, 2026
It is a shock that we have lost a great Senator for the United States, my friend Lindsay Graham. No one supported the military and America with more consistency or effectiveness. He was both consistent to his principles and able to be work with anyone willing to be rational. And…
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) July 12, 2026
I disagreed with Senator Lindsey Graham on a number of issues, but this is how I am going to choose to remember him.
Fighting for the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Lindsey 2.0 was something else. RIP. pic.twitter.com/HI4D9Eazzw
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) July 12, 2026
And, of course, there was some circumstantial speculation:
🚨 BREAKING: LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71, HOURS AFTER RETURNING FROM UKRAINE
Senator Graham passed after a “brief and sudden illness” following reports of a cardiac arrest at his home on Capitol Hill
Coincidentally, a similar 911 call related to a cardiac arrest at Mitch… pic.twitter.com/nbmb1qFlwd
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 12, 2026
Here’s the latest on Graham’s death, per NBC News:
Emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News. EMS audio later indicated CPR was in progress.
Photographs from the scene reviewed by NBC News show paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham’s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site.
A top staffer to Graham told NBC News early Sunday that there was no indication the lawmaker was feeling unwell prior to his death. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Graham was a frequent guest on the broadcast, appearing a total of 63 times over the years.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., paid tribute to a “strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe,” while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Graham had been “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend.”
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