Lindsey Graham‘s funeral on Tuesday brought world leaders to Washington, D.C., to honor him ahead of his final journey home to South Carolina.
The late senator died suddenly earlier this month, with a medical examination dispelling any foul play.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to him, acknowledging that although they started out rough, he was a “great politician and a great gentleman.”
World leaders, lawmakers, and dignitaries gathered in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to pay their final respects to longtime South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
Early Tuesday morning, lawmakers and Trump administration officials gathered under the dome of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where a military team carried the late senator’s flag-draped casket in recognition of his decades of service as a U.S. Air Force officer and lawyer, per the BBC.
Among those expected to attend the funeral are Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Both leaders arrived in Washington separately for a meeting with Trump as they looked to ramp up support for wars affecting their respective countries, but were expected at Graham’s funeral as he was a strong ally to them.
Graham Will Be Honored With A Private Funeral Service
Graham, who passed away on July 11 from an aortic dissection following a return trip from NATO talks and Ukraine, served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 23 years in the Senate.
He was well known as a fiery foreign policy hawk and an astute dealmaker. The late senator was a full supporter of Ukraine, often encouraging Trump to send more weapons over and also impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
According to Fox News, a private funeral service at the National Cathedral would also be held in his honor following the celebration of life at the Rotunda.
After the memorial ceremonies in Washington, Graham’s remains will be flown to his home state of South Carolina.
Trump And Vance Lead Tributes For Graham
4Tributes continued to pour in for the late senator, with the foremost of them coming from Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
Speaking at the Rotunda, Vance told the congregation that Graham was “a fierce defender of Ukraine,” as he recounted a “tense” argument they once had over the US funding for the Zelensky-led state, per the BBC. At the time, Vance was a senator like him.
President Trump, who’s also expected at Graham’s funeral, hailed him as a “great gentleman” in a call to Fox News Tuesday morning.
“He was a great politician and a great gentleman,” Trump told the news outlet. “It really ended up being a great friendship. And it’s very hard. He’s like, he really became like a member of the family in a sense.”
Lindsey Graham’s Death Leaves Trump Rattling With His Own Mortality
4Meanwhile, Graham’s death is understood to have left Trump contemplating his own mortality, as it’s understood that the president was really shocked by the news.
According to the Washington Post, sources with knowledge of the President’s private interaction said Trump consistently revisited the late senator’s passing in the days after, wondering how someone so active could be gone like that.
He reportedly mused about whether his jammed travels and schedules could have contributed and turned to family history and genetics.
During his July 12 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he filled in for Graham, he expressed his shock at the news as well as his contagious enthusiasm for his work.
“I said, ‘You guys, I just can’t believe it,’” he said. “I thought he was just going to live forever.”
In other interviews, Trump connected Graham’s death to a family history of heart disease.
“His father died just about at the same age,” Trump told Newsmax on July 13. “I’m a believer in the racehorse theory.”
Senator Looks To Continue With Graham’s Bills To Cement His Legacy
4Reports suggest the Senate will be moving on with Graham’s passion project, which includes pushing a bill for heavier sanctions on Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal referenced Graham’s quotes in communicating the importance of pushing the bill despite his absence.
“To quote Senator Graham, ‘It’s a big effing deal. We all did well. We all did good,’” Blumenthal told Fox News Digital. “Those were among the last comments he made to me. Neither of us knowing, you know, that he was going to pass, but it is a profoundly significant part of his legacy.”
“It’s a huge achievement for him,” he continued. “And I’m very proud to be, you know, his partner in that effort.”
The Democratic senator from Connecticut, alongside other senators, has revamped the legislation and changed its name to honor Graham, a move encouraged by his sister and successor, Sen. Darline Graham. However, the road to completion still looks windy.
“It’s going to be a very important part of his legacy, and it is a tribute, a fitting and appropriate tribute to him,” Blumenthal said. “I hope it passes. We’re not there yet.”