The nation is mourning the loss of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who passed away on Saturday night at the age of 71 after a “brief and sudden illness.” Tributes have been flooding in since the news of his death broke.
In a heartfelt message shared on Truth Social, President Trump praised Graham as “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
Trump continued, adding, “He was always working, and truly an American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
At the time of his passing, Graham was campaigning for a fifth term in the Senate, having previously served as the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, and participating in both the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Appropriations.
Reflecting on their relationship, Vice President Vance commented on the platform X, “We certainly had our disagreements. But I couldn’t help but like him. A one of a kind figure in our politics. I’ll be praying for him and his family.”
“Sara and I grieve with the American people over the loss of our dear friend, Senator Lindsey Graham. In our recent meeting, I said, ‘Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine. We have no better friend than Lindsey,’” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of Graham, who was known as a strong supporter of Israel and defense hawk, in a social media post on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, another world leader of a country strongly supported by Graham, also offered a tribute to the late Palmetto State senator Sunday.
“Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” Zelensky said on X.
“He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed. We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations.”
Other international leaders have stepped in to offer their condolences. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys commended Graham’s commitment to transatlantic unity on X.
“South Carolina lost a statesman and I’ve lost a friend,” the other senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott (R) wrote on social media.
“My prayers are with his sister and the rest of his family. From his humble beginnings to the Senate floor, Lindsey always led with faith, family, and South Carolina first. Lindsey remained committed to public service and doing what he loved. He always introduced levity and brought wit to the most challenging moments,” he added.
On Sunday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called Graham “irreplaceable,” and added that he was “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America.”
“My heart is heavy this morning to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote on X.
“Lindsey’s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world. He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe,” Thune added.
“He had always been kind, gracious, and thoughtful,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Sunday on social media. “The United States Senate lost a foreign policy giant.”
“Lindsey was a fearless patriot, a devoted public servant, and one of the fiercest advocates for America’s national security,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote in a Sunday X post.
“America has lost a Statesman,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Sunday on X. “President Trump and the White House have lost a friend.”
Hunter Biden‘s Sunday morning tribute on X recalled Graham once calling former President Biden “the nicest person” Graham has ever met in politics and as “good a man as God ever created.”
“That is the Senator Graham I will remember today. Not because I have forgotten what came after. Because in that memory there is hope. Hope for a country where brothers can fight like hell over policy and still share a meal, and a laugh, and the loss of the people they love,” he added.
The former president also wrote an X post to commemorate his time with Graham in Congress as members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly. Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities,” Biden said. “To his family, his staff, his constituents in South Carolina, and everyone who loved him: Jill and I are keeping you in our prayers.”
Former President George W. Bush said in a statement that he and his wife, Laura Bush, “were saddened to wake up to the shocking news.”
“He was a knowledgeable Senator who understood how the world works and how important America’s international engagement is to resist tyranny,” Bush wrote. “He was a kind and funny man who loved our country and loved serving it. South Carolina was fortunate to have such a committed public servant in its corner. And I was fortunate to have known Lindsey Graham.”
This post was updated on July 12, 2026, at 12:05 p.m. EDT