WASHINGTON (AURN News) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has died at age 71. His office said that after a brief and sudden illness, he died Saturday night at his Capitol Hill home, just days after a wartime visit to Kyiv.
The preliminary cause of death was an aortic dissection linked to atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries.
President Donald Trump led the tributes, calling Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” in a Truth Social post. Later, Trump told reporters their phone call Saturday “could’ve been his last call.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Graham’s family has asked for privacy.
Graham’s death caps one of Washington’s most dramatic political reversals. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he called Trump “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” and said he would not vote for him.
Within a year, the two were golfing partners. Graham became one of Trump’s most trusted allies on Iran, Ukraine and judicial nominations.
The arc ran alongside a career that also drew criticism over several comments on race, including remarks that referenced the “good old days of segregation.”
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
