Trump And Others Honor Sen. Lindsey Graham As “A True American Original” At Funeral
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On Tuesday, July 28, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, was honored by state, national, and foreign leaders as his casket was placed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Graham, who was 71 when he suddenly died on July 11, has been remembered in the weeks that have followed by Republicans and Democrats alike as someone who served the American people and stood up for what makes the nation great.
Representing South Carolina in the United States Senate from 2003 to 2026, he previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. Graham also served in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, Fox News noted, ultimately retiring in 2015 as a colonel while in the Air Force Reserve.
He even ran for president in the 2016 presidential race, but suspended his campaign by December of 2015 as future President Donald Trump became the frontrunner.
Now, Trump and others are expected to honor Graham and his legacy of civic duty.
RELATED: Sen. Lindsey Graham, Longtime South Carolina Lawmaker, Dies Suddenly At 71
VP Vance Honors Sen. Lindsey Graham, With Trump And Others To Deliver Remarks
As Graham’s casket was on display in the Capitol’s Rotunda, the likes of Vice President JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, paid tribute to the late senator.
Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, R-SC, who is serving as interim senator for South Carolina in her brother’s seat, was there to receive his casket.
Watch Graham’s casket be brought into the Capitol Rotunda, here:
🚨 JUST NOW: The U.S. Armed Forces Body Bearer Team carries Sen. Lindsey Graham's casket into the Capitol Rotunda, where he will lie in state. Graham is being received by his sister, Darline, ahead of a memorial service. pic.twitter.com/u5jP7GG2cB
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 28, 2026
Vance, who previously served as senator for Ohio, spoke on Graham’s life and legacy, saying he was “impossible not to like” and that he “cared about people.”
Further, Vance honed in on Graham’s passionate argumentative skills, crediting Graham with securing the votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice in 2018.
He concluded his remarks by describing Graham as “a true American original.”
Watch Vance’s remarks on Graham, filled with love and admiration, here:
Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Capitol ceremony, saying he cared about everyone, from the lowest-ranking staff member to the wait staff.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 28, 2026
"He was fascinated in people because he loved people," Vance said. "And he was interested in… pic.twitter.com/hVBaT7xQX4
Starting at 2 p.m., a memorial service for Graham will be held at the Washington National Cathedral.
There, Trump delivered remarks on Graham’s devotion to the nation.
Trump began by saying:
“Today, we gather in the deepest gratitude, the profoundest sorrow, to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, and a true American original, who left us much too soon, and that can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham.”
Continuing, Trump described the qualities that made Graham “a constant fixture of American politics at the highest level and a force to be reckoned with all over the world,” attributing his status and reputation “the strength of his steadfast convictions, the force of his magnetic personality, and the goodness of his noble soul.”
Trump added, “He died doing the work he was born to do — he was truly a great politician — serving the country he loved.”
He went on to say, “He went out at the peak of his career, the top of his game, as a legend that, many of us here today, were blessed to know him and a friend that none of us will ever forget. There was truly nobody like Lindsey Graham.”
Hilariously, Trump recalled the dirty campaign trick he pulled on Graham, saying it was “the beginning of our friendship.” Back in 2015, as Trump and Graham were running against one another for the Republican nomination for president, Trump shared Graham’s personal cellphone number at a rally, telling people to call it.
Graham responded by filming himself destroying his cellphone.
Watch Trump tell the story of the start of their friendship, here:
President Trump at Lindsey Graham’s memorial service tells the story of how he gave out his phone number during the 2016 debates. 📲
— Erikaaa (@ErikaCA47) July 28, 2026
"But Lindsey had the last laugh because he didn’t stop calling me for the next 10 years." Incredible. 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/UFy8fQOFzE
Revisit the moment Graham destroyed his cellphone in response to Trump’s campaign prank, here:
In addition to Trump, several leaders of other nations will be present at Graham’s funeral service, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Other speakers include Fox News host Sean Hannity; and Graham’s niece, Emillie Boggs Roberts.
Readings from Scripture were read by Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council; Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America; and the Rev. Franklin Graham.
The memorial service at the Capitol may be viewed, here:
Watch Trump’s remarks, specifically, here:
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