US senator Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress who travelled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive American foreign policy, has died aged 71 after a “brief and sudden illness”, his office said.
The statement posted on social media early on Sunday said his family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period”.
It did not provide any additional details about the circumstances surrounding the Saturday night death of the South Carolina Republican, a former air force lawyer who served in Congress for three decades.
US President Mr Trump said Mr Graham was “like a member of the family. It’s very tough”.
The president said Mr Graham called him on Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
“He sounded a little bit tired, but perfect,” Mr Trump told NBC’s Meet The Press.
A noted hawk, Mr Graham was one of the most influential figures in Washington on foreign affairs and he advised Mr Trump on matters such as the Iran war and Russia.
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On Friday, Mr Graham had announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions.
As chairman of the Senate budget committee, Mr Graham had a central role during Mr Trump’s second term as Republicans pushed major legislation on party-line votes while holding a narrow 53-47 majority in the chamber.
Under South Carolina law, Republican governor Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement for Mr Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November.
Mr Graham, elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the House, long promoted a policy of robust US military interventionism and strong national defence that in later years would put him at odds with the growing isolationist wing of his party.
Over time, Mr Graham became well-known for his close ties with Mr Trump, whom the senator briefly ran against for the presidential nomination in 2016.
Their relationship would begin on a rough note, with Mr Graham calling the then-New York businessman “unfit for office”.
Mr Graham used a profanity to describe Mr Trump after Mr Trump made disparaging comments about Arizona Republican John McCain, Mr Graham’s best friend in the Senate and a Vietnam War veteran.
During a campaign rally in South Carolina, Mr Trump read out Mr Graham’s personal mobile phone number and continued to belittle him throughout the 2016 race as Mr Graham made it clear he would not support Mr Trump.
But Mr Graham shifted significantly once Mr Trump won the White House.
He emerged as one of Mr Trump’s top allies — speaking with him frequently and becoming a regular presence on the golf course alongside the president — even as Mr McCain remained a critic.
In a 2018 interview with The Associated Press, Mr Graham explained his pivot by saying Mr McCain taught him that the country must move forward after elections and that meant “you have an obligation” to help the president.
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Mr McCain ran twice for the White House.
“And I’ve tried to be helpful where I could because I think he needs all the help he can get,” Mr Graham said of Mr Trump.
“You can be a better critic when people understand that you’re trying to help them be successful.”
Mr Graham had appeared to break with Mr Trump after the January 6 2021 attack on the Capitol, saying in a dramatic speech on the Senate floor that night, “Count me out. Enough is enough”.
But the senator soon returned to Mr Trump’s side and the two remained close during Mr Trump’s second term.
Mr Graham had just been in Ukraine to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the senator had visited his country 10 times during the years since Russia invaded in February 2022.
“Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” Mr Zelensky said.
Mr Graham’s travels made him a familiar face to dozens of world leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Graham understood that the security of Israel and the US was inseparable.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Mr Netanyahu said.
Mr Graham was known for his influence not only on Mr Trump, but also with his fellow Republicans who were aware of his ability to sometimes move the president’s thinking — as well as for his relationships with world leaders.
He was also known for his sense of humour, often deployed to diffuse tensions.
Wyoming senator John Barrasso, the second-ranking Republican, said Mr Graham will be missed for his “quick wit and infectious laughter”.
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Mr Graham often worked across the aisle, even as he remained fiercely loyal to Mr Trump.
Virginia senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, said in a statement that “personal relationships often mattered more to him than the political disagreements of the day”.
Mr Graham spoke about his humble roots, growing up in the back of a South Carolina bar and helping to raise his sister after his parents died at a young age.
Mr Graham was not married and did not have children.
His closest living relative is sister Darline Graham Nordone, whom he helped raise.