President Donald Trump joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Washington National Cathedral Tuesday to honor Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose sudden death 17 days ago ended a career defined by unwavering support for American military power and global engagement.
Trump called Graham "a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon." The president 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." He recounted how he'd publicly disclosed Graham's cellphone number on the 2016 campaign trail, reciting the number again in the cathedral, but said the senator had the last laugh because "Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years."
Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his Washington home of a likely aortic tear. He'd just returned from a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his birthday, and a visit to Ukraine. He was 71.
A Legacy of National Security Leadership
The attendance of Netanyahu and Zelenskyy, leaders of two nations fighting separate wars, underscored Graham's role as what Fox News' Sean Hannity called a foremost believer in U.S. military intervention abroad. Hannity said Graham would've been moved that both leaders made the long journeys to attend.
Trump Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and current and former senators joined in the pews. Graham's sister, now-Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed by South Carolina's governor to fill the remainder of her brother's term, sat among the mourners.
Vice President JD Vance described Graham during the morning Capitol Rotunda service as a man of "swashbuckling" stature who was impossible not to like. "Lindsey was a towering figure," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, choking back tears.
From Impeachment Manager to Trump Ally
First elected to Congress in the 1994 Republican revolt that swept the GOP to power, Graham was part of a new conservative era. He was 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 was elected to the Senate in the 2002 election.
There, he formed an alliance with Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, in what became the "three amigos," globe-trotting the world focused on national security issues.
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. That adaptability was most evident in his relationship with Trump.
Graham had denounced Trump as "unfit for office" during the 2016 presidential campaign. But over time he became what colleagues called the "Trump whisperer," someone even world leaders relied on to understand the president.
Final Mission: Russia Sanctions
Days before his death, Graham had won Trump's support for a long-fought bipartisan proposal to impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. It would be one of the strongest U.S. efforts to hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to prolong the conflict.
Senators were scheduled to take a first procedural vote Tuesday evening on the sanctions package, in Graham's honor. Zelenskyy was expected to be on hand and meeting with senators in the evening.
Vance recalled arguing with Graham over the senator's staunch support for aid to Ukraine, which has divided the GOP. But he praised his legacy, saying Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh "would not be on the Supreme Court" were it not for Graham's "fierce advocacy" during the confirmation hearing.
Conservative Values and Family
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 parents died while he was at college and then starting law school. He became the guardian for Darline, who was then 13, and he later in life often extolled the benefits of Social Security that helped keep them financially afloat.
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 placed 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.
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.
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.
Why This Matters:
Graham's death removes a powerful voice for robust American engagement abroad at a moment when the GOP remains divided over foreign policy, particularly Ukraine aid. His ability to bridge the gap between traditional national security hawks and Trump's more skeptical base made him uniquely influential. The Russia sanctions package he championed days before his death represents a test of whether that bipartisan coalition can survive without him. His sister's appointment to his seat and her upcoming primary challenge will determine whether South Carolina voters want continuity with Graham's interventionist approach or a new direction. The renaming of Joint Base Charleston honors a career spent advocating for military strength as the foundation of American security.