Lindsey Graham, one of the most influential Republican voices in the US Senate and a close ally of President Donald Trump in recent years, has died aged 71. His passing brings to an end more than two decades in the Senate, where he shaped debates on national security, foreign policy and America’s role on the global stage.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.”
A statement released on Saturday evening said Graham died peacefully and asked the public to respect his family’s privacy during what it called an incredibly difficult time.
“Senator Graham passed away on Saturday evening following a brief and sudden illness,” his office said. “The family asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
His death comes just days after returning from Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to discuss continued US support for Kyiv and new sanctions targeting Russia. There had been no public indication that the South Carolina senator was suffering from any health problems before the trip.
President Donald Trump led tributes, describing Graham as a loyal friend and devoted public servant.
“Lindsey was a true American patriot,” Trump wrote in a message on social media.
First elected to the US Senate in 2002, Graham became one of Washington’s most recognisable Republican lawmakers and a leading voice on defence and foreign affairs. He also served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and played a key role in debates over military spending and national security.
Throughout his career, Graham strongly supported America’s alliances overseas and remained one of Congress’s most vocal advocates for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
During his latest visit to Kyiv, he said he was working on a revised sanctions package that would give President Trump additional leverage in efforts to end the war.
“Putin will not stop in Ukraine,” Graham told the BBC in 2023. “To be weak in Ukraine means that you lose in Taiwan.”
Although he became one of Trump’s closest allies in recent years, Graham’s relationship with the president was once marked by fierce criticism.
During the 2016 Republican presidential race, he called Trump “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” in an interview with CNN. He also warned voters on social media that nominating Trump would be politically disastrous.
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Following the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021, Graham publicly distanced himself from Trump.
“Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way,” he said on the Senate floor.
“All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”
But their relationship later recovered. Graham voted against convicting Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial and became one of his strongest supporters during the 2024 presidential election.
Explaining his decision, Graham acknowledged Trump’s flaws but defended his record in office.
“There is a dark side to Donald Trump… and he was a very good president. But I am sticking with him because I saw what he did,” he told the BBC in 2023.
He pointed to Trump’s immigration policies, the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the appointment of conservative judges to the federal courts as major achievements.
Beyond domestic politics, Graham built much of his reputation on foreign policy.
He consistently argued for a strong US military presence overseas and opposed the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
“Jihadists all over the world are celebrating,” he said at the time.
“America will be seen as weak.”
Graham was also among the strongest supporters of Israel in the US Congress.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute shortly after news of his death became public.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” Netanyahu said.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends.”
For more than two decades, Lindsey Graham remained one of the most influential figures in American politics. Admired by supporters for his unwavering positions on national security and criticised by opponents for many of the same views, he leaves behind a legacy that shaped Republican foreign policy and left a lasting mark on the US Senate.
