WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump said Senator Lindsey Graham telephoned him on Saturday evening, only hours before the South Carolina Republican died, to discuss election legislation that Graham had been pressing Congress to approve.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, July 12, 2026, Trump said Graham had recently returned from Ukraine and appeared well during their conversation, although he acknowledged feeling tired after the journey.
Graham died later that evening following what his office described as a brief and sudden illness. He was 71.
“Other than being tired, he was fine,” Trump said.
He described the senator’s death as a “quick end, and maybe that’s not the worst way to go.”
Graham, a four-term senator and one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices on foreign affairs, had been scheduled to appear on “Meet the Press” on Sunday after returning to Washington from Kyiv.
Trump appeared on the programme as it reported Graham’s death.
The president called Graham “like a member of the family to me,” reflecting a relationship that developed from bitter political rivalry during the 2016 presidential campaign into a close alliance sustained through regular telephone conversations and golf outings.
A Final Call About Election Legislation
Trump told Kristen Welker, the moderator of “Meet the Press,” that Graham called in the early evening to discuss the SAVE America Act, legislation that would significantly alter federal election procedures but had not secured sufficient support to advance through the Senate.
“He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon,’” Trump said.
The two men believed they might see each other as early as Sunday, Trump added.
A transcript of the interview showed Trump saying that Graham had been intensely focused on the legislation despite the length of his return journey from Ukraine.
In a separate interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Trump said Graham also spoke about his overseas visit.
“He had a great trip,” Trump said, adding that Graham had been “telling me about the trip” during their conversation.
Graham had met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday, where their discussions included American support for Ukraine and proposed sanctions against countries buying Russian oil and natural gas.
The senator had consistently urged the Trump administration to maintain American support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
He also advocated a confrontational policy towards Iran, arguing that its leadership could not be trusted as a negotiating partner and urging the use of military force.
Trump portrayed Graham as an unusually effective political intermediary who could negotiate with members of both parties.
“If I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn’t often ask,” Trump said. “But if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out.”
“He was a great, he was a great politician, actually,” the president added.
Trump also described Graham as capable of taking a hard line when pursuing an objective.
“If he wanted to get something, if he thought he was right, and he had people against him, he could be very tough, actually,” Trump said. “But he was a good person.”
From Political Rival to Presidential Ally
The friendship followed years of public conflict between the two Republicans.
Graham briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination during the 2016 campaign and repeatedly denounced Trump, who was then running for office for the first time.
Before Trump secured the party’s nomination, Graham accused him of conducting “a campaign on xenophobia, race-baiting, religious bigotry — that cannot be Republican conservatism.”
Graham later said he voted for neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, in the 2016 general election.
Their relationship changed after Trump won the presidency.
Trump said on “Meet the Press” that Graham respected his victory in South Carolina’s Republican primary and that their association gradually became a friendship.
“We sort of got a little bit friendly, and just the friendship grew,” Trump said.
“It just grew, and he was an amazing advocate. He was — I don’t know how you find anybody like him.”
Graham became one of Trump’s most visible defenders in the Senate and supported major parts of his administration’s agenda.
Their alliance nevertheless faced a public rupture after the attack on the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey,” Graham said in a Senate speech that day.
“I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president, but today, first thing you’ll see.”
“All I can say is a count me out. Enough is enough,” he added.
Weeks later, Graham voted to acquit Trump at his second impeachment trial. He said the prosecution had been “an impeachment effort driven by passion and hatred against President Trump.”
Graham subsequently renewed his support for Trump and backed his successful 2024 presidential campaign.
Their political and personal alliance remained intact through Graham’s final year in office.
Trump had endorsed Graham for re-election this year, describing him as “a wonderful friend to me” who “has always been there when I needed him.”
In a social media post thanking Trump for the endorsement in March 2025, Graham celebrated both their political partnership and their friendship.
“On a professional level, I am proud to have been there at the beginning when President Trump — through sheer force of will —achieved the greatest political comeback in American history,” Graham wrote.
“On a personal level, I genuinely enjoy our friendship,” he added. “He’s an awesome golfing buddy, who I have yet to beat.”
