Senator Lindsey Graham told President Donald Trump he was tired on their final phone call, then died hours later from what his office described as a 'brief and sudden illness'.
Graham, the South Carolina Republican and one of Trump's closest Senate allies, died on 11 July 2026 at the age of 71. His office confirmed the death was caused by a 'brief and sudden illness'. Trump, appearing on NBC's 'Meet the Press' the following morning, gave the first detailed account of what turned out to be their last conversation.
The Final Phone Call
Trump told host Kristen Welker that Graham rang him around 7pm on Saturday, shortly after landing from Ukraine. 'He called and he said, "We're all set for the SAVE America Act." He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy,' Trump said.
Graham had just returned from Kyiv. Authorities have not indicated any connection between his trip and his condition. 'I said, "That's a long trip to make,"' Trump recalled. 'He sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired. Man, he was a worker. He was really a worker.'
Trump said the pair had discussed meeting in person that day. 'We thought maybe we might even meet today,' he said. 'It couldn't have been much longer. It could have been his last call.' Trump added that he learned of Graham's death from a message sent by someone in the senator's office at around 1 am.
Trump on Meet the Press says Lindsey Graham called him last evening after he got back from Ukraine and said "we're all set for the SAVE America Act."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 12, 2026
"He sounded a little tired," Trump added. "It could have been his last call." pic.twitter.com/hqFQuHZ9Fp
'Brief and Sudden Illness': What We Know
Emergency personnel were called to Graham's Capitol Hill residence on Saturday night, responding to a report of cardiac arrest, according to US media accounts cited on air by Welker. Graham's office has not confirmed a specific medical cause beyond describing the death as a 'quick and sudden illness'.
Asked by Welker whether he believed cardiac arrest was the cause, Trump said: 'I would think it would be that. Because when I spoke to him, it could have been minutes before, based on the fact that I heard about the call, whatever time that was.' He added that 'other than being tired, he was fine', and called it 'maybe not the worst way to go'.
Graham had been due to appear on 'Meet the Press' himself that Sunday morning to discuss his Ukraine trip. Instead, Welker's programme became the venue for Trump's tribute. Elected to the Senate in 2002 and sworn in the following year, Graham chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021 and, at the time of his death, chaired the Senate Budget Committee while sitting on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees.
President Donald J. Trump on the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham: pic.twitter.com/m2Mb5m1EKz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 12, 2026
Tributes Pour In From Washington to Kyiv
Trump posted on Truth Social that Graham was 'one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known', adding: 'He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!' He later told Welker that Graham 'was like a member of the family to me'.
Fellow South Carolina Senator Tim Scott told CNN's Jake Tapper the US had 'lost a true statesman', adding: 'I've lost a friend. It is a morning of mourning for me.' Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Graham 'a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others'.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Graham had visited ten times since Russia's 2022 invasion, wrote that Graham was a 'true defender of freedom' and that 'we remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had 'lost one of its greatest friends', while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also issued statements mourning his death.
Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 12, 2026
He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia's full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it… pic.twitter.com/7oE2F5ZDAy
Under South Carolina law, Republican Governor Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement to Graham's seat, with a special primary election scheduled for 11 August ahead of November's midterm vote. Graham had already secured the Republican nomination for a fifth Senate term, reporting £12.3m ($15.6m) in campaign fundraising, before his death cut the race short.
Lindsey Graham's final act as a senator was pushing legislation across the finish line, a fitting close for a man Trump called, simply, 'a worker'.
