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Tributes poured in Sunday from President Donald Trump, congressional leaders and foreign allies after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died at 71 following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness,” bringing to an end the career of one of the Senate’s most influential Republican voices.
The South Carolina Republican had served in the Senate since 2003 and became one of the GOP’s leading voices on national security and foreign policy. Once a sharp critic of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, Graham later emerged as one of the president’s closest allies while maintaining a prominent role on issues ranging from judicial confirmations to Ukraine, Israel and Iran.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham “was always working,” and called the Palmetto State senator “a true American Patriot.”
“Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump wrote. “So sad!”
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER ‘BRIEF AND SUDDEN’ ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speak to the media aboard Air Force One enroute to Washington, DC on January 04, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster called Graham “irreplaceable” and the “fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America.” Per South Carolina law, McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement for Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said his “heart is heavy” following Graham’s death, calling him a trusted adviser whose influence “on the federal judiciary, our national defense, and his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations.”
Thune praised Graham as a tireless advocate for the United States and its allies, saying he believed in “the might of America to achieve good in the world” and spent his career advancing that cause.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wrote on X that Graham spent his career advancing America’s interests and believed in “the might of America to achieve good in the world.” (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images)
United States UN Amb. Mike Waltz remembered Graham not only as a senator, but as a fellow military officer. Waltz said he first met Graham when he was serving as a colonel in the Air National Guard, recalling that Graham spent his annual training deployments in Afghanistan helping train Afghan Army Judge Advocate General officers.
Waltz also praised Graham’s commitment to the U.S. military and foreign policy, saying no member of Congress traveled more extensively “from Libya to Lebanon” to meet with American troops and bring “ground truth back to legislating.”
“Rest easy, Patriot,” he wrote on X.
Graham’s death also prompted tributes from across the aisle. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., remembered his Republican colleague as “kind, gracious, and thoughtful,” and an expert on foreign policy.
“Sudden and awful news about Senator Lindsey Graham,” Fetterman wrote. “The United States Senate lost a foreign policy giant.”
The outpouring of tributes quickly spread beyond Washington, with world leaders remembering Graham as one of America’s most influential voices on national security and foreign affairs.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Graham had visited Ukraine 10 times since the full-scale Russian invasion. (Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu/Getty Images)
In one of his final overseas trips, Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. The visit marked his 10th trip to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, where the two, according to readouts of the meeting, discussed tougher sanctions on Russia and the country’s air defense needs.
After Graham’s death, Zelenskyy posted on X, calling him “a true defender of freedom” who stood with Ukraine “when it was most needed.” He said Graham’s bipartisan work to increase pressure on Moscow helped bring “peace closer,” adding, “America and the world have lost a determined leader.”
Other European leaders echoed those sentiments.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described Graham as “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.” Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised his “tireless commitment” to NATO and the trans-Atlantic bond, as well as his “staunch support” for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Graham was “a true friend and partner of Germany in the transatlantic alliance. We stood side by side for more than four decades.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Graham “a great friend of Israel” and said he devoted his life to strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance. (Israeli Prime Ministry Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The tributes extended to the Middle East as well, where Graham was remembered as one of Israel’s strongest allies in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him “a great friend of Israel” and “a cherished friend of mine,” saying Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States “is inseparable” and devoted his life to strengthening the alliance between the two countries.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Netanyahu said.
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Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told The Associated Press that Graham’s death leaves Congress without one of its most steadfast pro-Israel voices at a particularly precarious moment.
“You have a few Democrats and Republicans willing to stand up in Israel’s defense, but those type of people are few, it’s not a body of people,” he said. “So when you lose someone like Lindsey Graham, it’s a diplomatic and strategic loss for the state of Israel.”
