US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Dies At 71

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Lindsey Graham, the influential U.S. senator from South Carolina, has died at the age of 71 following a brief and sudden illness.

His office said he passed away on Saturday evening, adding that Graham’s family “asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

A day before he died, Graham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday and reaffirmed his support for Ukraine.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 after serving four terms in the House of Representatives, the South Carolina Republican became one of Washington’s most influential voices on foreign policy, national security, and judicial appointments, while also emerging as a key ally of President Donald J. Trump.

TRUMP PAYS TRIBUTE TO ALLY

Moments after learning of his death, Trump posted an emotional message on his Truth Social platform at 3:21 a.m. local time Sunday, expressing his sorrow over Graham’s passing.

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Before they became close allies, the pair had a complicated relationship spanning more than a decade.

Both Trump and Graham sought the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

FROM RIVALS TO CLOSE FRIENDS

During that turbulent campaign, Graham reportedly called Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot,” among other even less flattering terms.

He also warned that Trump would destroy the Republican Party.

Yet after Trump won the White House in 2016, the two held what they described as a reconciliation lunch in March 2017. By 2018, they had become close political allies and frequent golfing companions, according to those close to both men.

The relationship had deteriorated after Trump mocked the late Sen. John McCain, the decorated Vietnam War veteran and longtime friend of Graham.

MAGA RELATIONSHIP EVOLVED

As the Republican primary intensified, Graham also ridiculed Trump’s emerging Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“You know how you make America great again?” Graham asked during an appearance on CNN. “Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”

Graham ended his own presidential campaign in December 2015 before rebuilding ties with Trump early in his first term.

Trump later said Graham had once been a “great enemy” but had become a “great friend.”

FOREIGN POLICY LEGACY REMEMBERED

“I really like Lindsey. Can you believe it? I never thought I’d say that, but I do,” Trump remarked.

Earlier this year, Graham was among the most outspoken supporters of Trump’s military action against Iran, making frequent television appearances calling for tougher measures against what he viewed as the Islamic regime in Tehran.

He also remained one of the Senate’s strongest advocates for Ukraine, repeatedly urging tougher sanctions against Russia and continued U.S. military support for Kyiv.

Graham will be remembered as one of the most recognizable Republican senators of his generation, whose influence on U.S. foreign policy and national security debates spanned more than two decades.

WORKING ON INTERIM SUCCESSION

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

Under South Carolina law, Governor Henry McMaster is expected to appoint an interim successor until voters choose a replacement in a special election.

Graham never married and had no children.

He is survived by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, whom he helped raise after their parents died just 15 months apart, leaving her orphaned at the age of 13.

Graham later became her legal guardian while completing college and beginning his U.S. Air Force service.

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