Tributes to the the influential conservative, 71, have been led by Trump<\/a>, who hailed him as a \u201ctough cookie\u201d and posted a picture of him wearing a spoof Iran cap on Truth Social.<\/p>\n The pair were not always close and some of Graham\u2019s past insults against the president have resurfaced in the wake of his passing. In 2015, for instance, he called Trump \u201ca race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot,\u201d a \u201ckook\u201d and \u201cunfit for office.\u201d<\/p>\n A long-time foreign policy hawk<\/a>, Graham\u2019s death was announced early Sunday just after he had returned from a trip to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> and express U.S. support for his nation\u2019s fightback against Russia.<\/p>\n Just five days later, paramedics were called to the four-term senator<\/a>\u2019s Washington home Saturday evening in response to a suspected cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n The District of Columbia\u2019s Medical Examiner subsequently concluded that his cause of death had been a ruptured aorta arising from the hardening of the arteries<\/a> as a consequence of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump says he knows who should replace Lindsey Graham. Here\u2019s how his Senate seat will be filled<\/p>\n Republicans only have a three seat-majority in the Senate (53 to 47) and are hoping to hold onto their slim advantage in November\u2019s midterms to ensure Trump\u2019s final two years as president are not spent as a lame duck under investigation.<\/p>\n Graham had been running for re-election in South Carolina and seemed all but assured to win but his passing now opens the door to a potentially chaotic primary.<\/p>\n Asked about a replacement on Meet the Press yesterday, Trump said: \u201cI have somebody that I think would be great. <\/p>\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to say it now because, you know, it\u2019s too soon with Lindsey. I don\u2019t want to even talk about anybody. But I do have somebody that I think is really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 12:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Watch: Iranian state TV gloats over Graham\u2019s death<\/p>\n This was how the late Republican\u2019s passing was covered in Tehran.<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 11:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Graham was in Kyiv Friday championing tighter U.S. sanctions against Russia<\/p>\n The late senator visited Ukraine late last week and looked perfectly well as he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, advocating continued American support against the Russian invasion just days after Trump had met with Zelensky at NATO\u2019s summit in Turkey.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Zelensky\u2019s tribute after news of Graham\u2019s passing broke following his return home on Saturday.<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 11:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Graham was booked for Meet the Press. Trump jumped in after he died for revealing interview<\/p>\n President Donald Trump appeared Sunday on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press as well as CNN\u2019s State of the Union to pay tribute to Sen. Lindsey Graham.<\/p>\n The president made the last-minute arrangement to call into the program after Graham\u2019s death was announced just after 2 a.m. Sunday. <\/p>\n Graham was originally slated to appear as one of the program\u2019s guests this wee, and made frequent appearances on the show over the decades. <\/p>\n NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker, the program\u2019s moderator, noted that it was to be Graham\u2019s 64th appearance on the show Sunday.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more from John Bowden on Trump\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n Graig Graziosi13 July 2026 10:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump on Graham\u2019s past criticism of him: \u2018He was a tough cookie\u2019<\/p>\n Also speaking on CNN Sunday in tribute to the late senator, the president was asked about the South Carolinian\u2019s past attacks on him, taking a forgiving attitude and saying Graham\u2019s slings and arrows had come in the heat of battle and before they really knew each other.<\/p>\n Before throwing in with Trump\u2019s MAGA movement, Graham was certainly unforgiving in his criticism.<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 10:10<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump posts tribute to Graham wearing Iran cap and brandishing mock Wikipedia page<\/p>\n The president has remembered his old ally on Truth Social with a bizarre picture in which he wears a \u201cMake Iran Great Again\u201d cap supporting Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n He is holding up a mock-up of Trump\u2019s Wikipedia page proclaiming him \u201cActing President of Venezuela\u201d following January\u2019s raid on Caracas to capture Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n In his initial response to the news, the president wrote: \u201cSenator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!\u201c<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 09:50<\/p>\n <\/a>Watch: White House pays tribute to Lindsey Graham with half-mast flags<\/p>\n The late Republican\u2019s passing is being mourned at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the traditional manner.<\/p>\n White House pays tribute to Lindsey Graham with half-mast flags<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 09:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Graham on Biden: \u2018What\u2019s not to like?\u2019<\/p>\n Before aligning himself with Donald Trump, Graham shared his own kind words about Joe Biden, refusing to join in GOP attacks on the 46th president. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you can\u2019t admire Joe Biden as a person, then you\u2019ve got a problem,\u201d Graham told The Huffington Post in a 2015 interview. <\/p>\n \u201cYou need to do some self-evaluation, because what\u2019s not to like?\u201d<\/p>\n More recently, he expressed his opposition to congressional Republicans investigating his old friend, breaking ranks in the name of friendship.<\/p>\n Joe Sommerlad13 July 2026 09:00<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trump-Graham.png\")
(Donald J Trump\/Truth Social)<\/p>\n