Lindsey Graham eulogized as an 'American original' with global reach
[July 29, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO, MEG KINNARD and MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who
rose to become one of his generation's more influential U.S. politicians
at home and abroad, was eulogized Tuesday as “a true American original”
during memorial services in Washington.
Graham's flag-draped casket arrived for a tribute at the U.S. Capitol,
where the Republican served for more than 30 years as an indefatigable
dealmaker who talked and laughed and badgered his colleagues into
action. Later, President Donald Trump joined foreign leaders for a
funeral at Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham's
stature on the global stage.
Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true
American original who left us much too soon.”
In mostly prepared remarks, Trump described his onetime presidential
rival turned ally as “the first person to make you laugh and one of the
last people that you've really ever wanted to fight.”
Trump told the story of how he had publicly disclosed Graham's cellphone
number on the campaign trail, reciting the number in the cathedral, but
said the senator had the last laugh because "Lindsey did not stop
calling me for the next 10 years.”
Among those gathered were Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine's
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of two countries fighting separate wars, a
nod to Graham's role as a foremost believer in the power of the U.S. and
its military to intervene in the world's problems. Fox News' Sean
Hannity said in his remarks that Graham would have been moved.
Trump Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh,
and current and former senators and lawmakers joined in the pews, as did
Graham’s sister, now- Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed by the
state’s governor to fill the remainder of her brother’s term.
It was the start of two days of services, with burial Wednesday in
Graham's home state of South Carolina. Joint Base Charleston will be
renamed in his honor, an Air Force official said. Graham died suddenly
on July 11 of a likely aortic tear, according to preliminary findings.
He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey,
where he celebrated his birthday, and a visit to Ukraine. He was 71.
Graham had spent his final days negotiating punishing Russia sanctions
intended to help Ukraine, and senators worked quickly voting to advance
the package late Tuesday evening, a final gesture for their colleague.
A place of honor for a ‘swashbuckling’ senator
During the morning service in the Capitol Rotunda, Vice President JD
Vance described Graham as a “swashbuckling” man — "who swashbuckled into
the Senate” with his suit jacket open — and was impossible not to like.
“Lindsey was a towering figure,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said,
choking back tears during his remarks.
First elected to Congress in the 1994 Republican revolt that swept the
GOP to power, Graham was part of a new era of conservatives in the House
— and among the first Republicans from his Southern state since
Reconstruction.
He quickly rose to prominence as a manager in Democrat Bill Clinton's
presidential impeachment, and he was elected to the Senate in 2002.
There, he formed an alliance with Sen. John McCain, a Republican from
Arizona, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, in
what would become the “three amigos,” globe-trotting the world focused
on national security issues.
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An Armed Forces Body Bearer Team places the flag-draped casket of
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, in the Rotunda of the U.S.
Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison
Robbert)
Vance recalled how he argued with Graham over the senator's staunch
support for aid to Ukraine, but praised his legacy, saying Kavanaugh
“would not be on the Supreme Court” were it not for Graham’s “fierce
advocacy.”
For decades, Graham had been at the center of the action — a member
of virtually every bipartisan gang in Congress — with a relentless
ability to adapt to political realities, particularly when it came
to Trump.
One by one, many of Graham’s colleagues said their goodbyes in the
Rotunda. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala, placed both hands on his casket
and then put her hand on her heart. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.,
saluted from her wheelchair. Former Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., bowed
and delivered a brief kiss and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., gave a fist
bump.
The ‘Trump whisperer’ had one last mission: Russia sanctions
Perhaps nowhere was Graham's political dexterity on display more as
when he navigated his on-again, off-again relationship with Trump.
Graham had denounced Trump as “unfit for office” during the 2016
presidential campaign, but over time he had become what colleagues
called the “Trump whisperer,” someone even world leaders relied on
to understand the president.
Days before his death, Graham had won Trump's support for the
long-fought bipartisan proposal to impose sanctions on Russia over
the war in Ukraine, in what would be one of the strongest U.S.
efforts to hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to
prolong the conflict.
Senators said they wanted to move on the sanctions package as a
tribute to Graham. After the funeral Zelenskyy, who had met with
Trump earlier at the White House, arrived at the Capitol to talk
with lawmakers ahead of voting. He then watched the roll call from
the visitors' gallery inside the Senate chamber.
Graham's champions and potential successors
At the Washington cathedral, a roster of socially conservative and
anti-abortion leaders gave readings, including Tony Perkins of the
Family Research Council, Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser of Susan B.
Anthony Pro-Life America and the Reverend William Franklin Graham
III.
When Hannity said how important Darline Graham and her family had
been to the senator, she put her hand over her heart in response.
Lindsey Graham never married, but the Air Force veteran helped
support his younger sister after both of his parents died while he
was at college and then starting law school. He became the guardian
for Darline, who was then 13.
Darline Graham is now running in a potentially crowded primary field
for the fall election. The filing period for the special primary
election closes Tuesday, with voting set for Aug. 11.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Collin Binkley and Michelle
L. Price contributed to this story.
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