Lindsey Graham remembered at Washington memorial as Trump, Netanyahu, Zelenskiy pay tribute

Washington memorial gatherings

Two days of services for Senator Lindsey Graham opened Tuesday morning in the Capitol Rotunda, where Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and hundreds of lawmakers paid tribute. Graham died suddenly on July 11 at age 71 from what officials described as a tear in his aorta. His casket later moved to Washington National Cathedral for an afternoon funeral attended by President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Fox News host Sean Hannity. The events drew officials from both parties, reflecting Graham's 23-year Senate career and his reputation as a cross-aisle dealmaker.

Vance and Thune on a 'true American original'

Vice President Vance called Graham a man of "swashbuckling" stature, "a true American original." "I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a person who could fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another issue," Vance said. He credited Graham with saving Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 Supreme Court confirmation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune recalled Graham as a "fierce defender of Ukraine" and a "powerful voice for the [anti-abortion] movement," adding that Graham "told things the way he saw them and he didn't mince words." At the close of the Rotunda service, dozens of lawmakers approached the casket; Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, crossed himself, and former Senator Richard Burr leaned over to kiss the flag-draped coffin.

Trump's eulogy: a leaked number and a decade of calls

President Trump, who once feuded bitterly with Graham before they became close allies, recounted the 2015 episode that sealed their friendship: "I shared his personal cell phone number with the millions of people... His phone exploded." Trump added that Graham then "did not stop calling me for the next 10 years." Before the funeral, Trump told Fox News that Graham was "a great politician and a great gentleman," and said, "If I needed a Democrat, he could usually produce that Democrat."

A final mission for Ukraine and the alliance

A former Air Force lawyer stationed in West Germany during the Cold War, Graham often called himself "a Ronald Reagan Republican" and said "When America leads, the world is safer" in a May 2026 floor speech. He became one of the Senate's most vocal advocates for Ukraine after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, making repeated trips to Kyiv and pressing colleagues to sustain military aid. In early July, he met President Zelenskiy in Kyiv and worked on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, telling reporters, "I've never been more optimistic today that we have the formula to end this war." He died days later. His support for Israel was equally intense; the Wall Street Journal on Sunday released February footage of Graham expressing delight over the US-led war on Iran.

Darline Graham's moment

Senator Darline Graham, Lindsey's younger sister, stood behind his casket in the Rotunda, occasionally dabbing her eyes before tears traced her cheeks as she placed her palm on the flag-draped wood. Appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to serve the remainder of the term through January, she is now running in a crowded Republican primary to succeed her brother permanently, and she has already received Trump's endorsement.

A South Carolina farewell

On Wednesday, ceremonies move to Graham's home state. An F-16 flyover will precede services at the South Carolina State House in Columbia, a public funeral at First Baptist Church, and a private family burial in Pickens County, where Graham and his sister were born.