The influential Republican senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, died on Saturday at the age of 71, his office announced on his official X account. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham died following a brief and sudden illness,” his office said. Her “family thanks those who pray for her and asks for respect for her privacy during this extremely difficult time,” the statement added.
Lindsay Graham was one of the veterans of Congress. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, before being elected to the Senate in 2002. He was subsequently re-elected to the Senate in 2008, 2014 and 2020, and most recently chaired the Senate Budget Committee.
“A true American patriot”
“Senator 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!!! », Wrote Donald Trump, after the announcement of his death. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster called Graham “irreplaceable.” “The staunchest defender of South Carolina and America, and a loyal and steadfast friend,” he added on X.
Lindsay Graham was born into a modest family in South Carolina. Orphaned at a very young age, he studied psychology and law before joining the Air Force in the legal department. In 1991, he participated in the first Gulf War, against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. In Washington, he appeared as a hawk, in favor of the use of force, while showing himself open to compromise with the Democrats, particularly on environmental issues. Independent, free in his comments, he was very virulent against Donald Trump, before supporting him following his first election to the White House.
The day before his death, the South Carolina senator was still visiting kyiv, alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, to discuss American aid to Ukraine in terms of anti-aircraft defense. On January 4, 2026, the day after the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by the United States, he was at Mar-a-Lago, at Trump’s residence in Florida, to congratulate Donald Trump, declaring: “We got Venezuela, we got Cuba, we got Colombia. Trump is cleansing our backyard of a drug caliphate with narcoterrorist dictators who murder, rape, and ship drugs to us,” adding, “We need Greenland.” He has also been one of the most vocal supporters of the 2026 Iran War.
Lindsay Graham was also and above all a fervent ally of Israel, actively supporting its action in Gaza. “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and that of America are inseparable (…) Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a dear friend,” declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “shocked and heartbroken” by this news. “We will never forget how he stood with the people of Israel in our most difficult times, and we will remain eternally grateful to him for his sense of justice, truth and loyalty,” he continued on the X network.
