Lindsey Graham death updates: Trump says senator ‘sounded a little tired’ during final conversation night before he died

President Donald Trump said that Senator Lindsey Graham was a “tough one to lose” and “like a member of the family” after the South Carolina Republican died suddenly on Saturday evening. In a phone interview with NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday morning, Trump said what “makes it even stranger” is that he received a call from Graham in the “early evening...sometime in the sevens.” “He called and said that we’re all set for the SAVE America Act, he was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy,” Trump said, adding that Graham, who had just flown back from Ukraine, “sounded a little tired.” The 71-year-old Palmetto State senator died after a brief and sudden illness, his office said in an X post early on Sunday. A senator since 2003, Graham had been a vocal advocate for a hawkish foreign policy. He also went from being an outspoken critic of Trump to one of his most prominent supporters, particularly pushing the president to launch war against Iran. Following his death, a number of U.S. politicians and world leaders paid tribute, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wrote that “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends, America has lost a great patriot.”Stephen Miller says Lindsey Graham's transformation from critic to supporter is a testament to his democratic principles White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller released a lengthy tribute to Lindsey Graham, who died at the age of 71 on Saturday. “I cannot describe to you how much joy President Trump’s leadership and friendship brought to Lindsey. Meetings with Graham at the White House were filled with camaraderie, kinship and uproarious laughter,” Miller wrote on X on Sunday morning. “The fact that Lindsey started out as a political opponent only to become one the President’s most steadfast and faithful supporters underscores that Lindsey believed emphatically in the voice of the people,” he added. Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 16:34Critics highlight old post from Graham warning of electing Trump Some Democrats and Trump critics have highlighted an old social media post from the late senator in which he criticized the Republican president. “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it,” Graham wrote of Trump in 2016, back when both men were campaigning for the presidency. After Trump’s election, Graham became one of his staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill. Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 16:27Netanyahu says Graham went 'ballistic' during his final conversation with the late senator During a Sunday morning interview on Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recounted his last conversation with Lindsey Graham before his death. “The last conversation I had with him, I said ‘Lindsey, we’ve come of age. We have a robust economy…So I’m going to phase out the support, the military support for Israel over a period of years and bring it down to zero,’” Netanyahu said. “And he went ballistic,” he continued. “He said, ‘no way, you can’t do that!’ Because he was so concerned with our security which he believed was your security.” Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 16:23Trump recounts his disagreements with Graham over Ukraine “We disagreed a little bit,” President Trump said of Graham during an interview with CNN on Sunday morning when asked about the late senator’s foreign policy views. “I’m a big Israel person; he was certainly that,” the president said. “I wanted to see the war with Ukraine end very quickly. I think he was more into, you know, keeping it going, frankly." Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 16:17South Carolina lawmaker floated as potential replacement for Graham says he spoke to Trump Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican who has been floated as a possible appointee to replace Graham, said he spoke with President Trump today expressing his desire to remain in the House, where the GOP hold a slim majority. “I was grateful to speak with President Trump today reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Wilson wrote on X. “I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!” Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 16:06Amy Klobuchar remembers Graham for his 'almost kid-like exuberance about his job' Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, remembered Graham for his “almost kid-like exuberance about his job” and his loyalty to “friends and causes.” “He was willing to work on gnarly issues and take on (at times) political risks for the right reasons,” Klobuchar wrote on X. “It is fitting that he died shortly after visiting Ukraine, one of those causes he would stand up for through thick and thin.” “Much will be said in the coming days about his relationships with others—President Trump and John McCain for instance—but what can’t be forgotten is the reason why so many people he worked with—from senators to staff—will mourn his loss: Lindsey had a zest for life and the Senate that made you want to get to work on a bill with him or at least debate him,” she added. Klobuchar remembered Graham for his devotion to supporting Ukraine. Pictured: Klobuchar, Graham and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Amy Klobuchar) Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 15:58Trump reveals what he said to Lindsey Graham in final call around an hour before fated 911 dispatch The 71-year-old Republican died from a “brief and sudden illness” Saturday night, his office said. Graham was supposed to appear on NBC News’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. Trump instead called in, and told anchor Kristen Welker that he had spoken with the senator early Saturday evening “in the sevens.” Isabel Keane reports... Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 15:55House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he was 'shocked' to hear of Graham's death “I am shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Senator Lindsey Graham,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones. May he Rest in Peace after his long career of service to the people of South Carolina.” Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 15:50Sean Hannity calls Graham 'a dear friend' and 'the hardest working man' Fox News’ Sean Hannity described Lindsey Graham as “a dear friend” and the “hardest working man in the US Senate” in a post on X. “He loved his job more than any elected official I’ve ever known and serving the people of SC, for him, was a 24/7 focus,” Hannity added. “He was always on a mission to accomplish big things for the country and world. He will be greatly missed.” Graham frequently appeared on Hannity’s evening show. Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 15:42JD Vance on Graham: 'We certainly had our disagreements. But I couldn't help but like him' “Lindsey Graham came from humble beginnings and became one of the most powerful lawmakers in the most powerful nation on Earth,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Sunday morning. “His story was a fundamentally American one.” “We certainly had our disagreements,” he added. “But I couldn't help but like him.” Brendan Rascius12 July 2026 15:33