Trump Confidant Lindsey Graham Has Died

Here's what it's all about

• U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71.
• His office refers to it as a “brief and sudden illness.”
• The longtime senator from South Carolina was considered one of the most influential Republicans in Washington.

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U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died. His office announced the news early Sunday morning. The South Carolina senator died Saturday evening at the age of 71 following a “short and sudden illness.”

"On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away following a brief and sudden illness," according to a statement from his office on the X platform. His family thanks everyone for their condolences and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.

No further details regarding the cause of death were provided at this time.

Just how unexpected his death was is made clear not least by his packed schedule. He had just shaken hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and an interview on U.S. television was scheduled for Sunday. He intended to run for a fifth term in the Senate in the important midterm elections in November. U.S. President Donald Trump had pledged his “unreserved and full support” for his campaign.

Trump: “One of the greatest people”

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and senators I’ve ever known, has passed away!” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social shortly after the news broke overnight in the U.S. “He was always working and was a true American patriot. We will miss Lindsey very much!!!”

Graham first represented the U.S. state of South Carolina in the House of Representatives starting in the mid-1990s. He began his first term as a senator in 2003.

In recent years, Graham has played an important role in U.S. foreign and security policy. Internationally, he has made a name for himself, among other things, through his support for Ukraine, his hard line against Iran and his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.