Lindsey Graham Remembered at Capitol as Trump and World Leaders Gather for Washington Funeral

Lawmakers honored the late South Carolina senator’s military service, political influence, humor and commitment to national defense before President Donald Trump and foreign leaders attended his funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders, administration officials and members of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s family gathered in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to honor the South Carolina Republican before a funeral service attended by President Donald Trump and international leaders at Washington National Cathedral.

Graham died July 11 at age 71. Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner’s office indicated that he suffered an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The senator’s casket was escorted into the Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team in recognition of his military career. The military detail was then replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard honoring Graham’s service in the Senate.

“In recognition of Graham’s decades of service in the Air Force, his remains will be carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team,” Graham’s office said. “Following arrival to the Rotunda, the Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will be replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard in recognition of his service in the U.S. Senate.”

Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., and lawmakers from both parties participated in the Capitol service, recalling Graham as a forceful advocate for the military, a persuasive senator and a colleague who maintained friendships across political divisions.

Graham spent more than three decades in Congress, beginning with his election to the House in 1994. He represented South Carolina in the House from 1995 until 2003 and served in the Senate from 2003 until his death.

Over the course of his congressional career, Graham became one of Washington’s most recognizable Republicans. He advised Trump on national security, foreign affairs and judicial nominations while supporting increased defense spending and maintaining a prominent role in debates over Israel, Ukraine, Iran and Russia.

Biggs told those assembled in the Rotunda that Graham’s devotion to the armed forces reflected his own 33 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, from which he retired with the rank of colonel.

“Perhaps what I’ll remember most was his love for our military. Lindsey proudly served for 33 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel,” Biggs said. “He deeply understood the sacrifices made by the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform, because he wore it himself.”

“He loved our service members. He loved our veterans, and he never stopped fighting for [them],” she continued. “Just last week, I received a call from a friend that I had served with. He was a colonel, a pilot. He told me years ago he was on an aircraft, and Senator Graham happened to be on that plane. He said he thought he never would get him out of the cockpit because he was right in the middle almost the entire flight, talking to the pilots and learning more about them. That’s just who Lindsey was. He wanted to be right there alongside our fighters and our veterans.”

Biggs said Graham’s public identity extended beyond the positions and military ranks he held during his life.

“When people talk about Lindsey Graham, they often talk about the titles he has held, the congressman, the senator, the chairman, the colonel. But titles only tell a small part of the story,” she said.

“To truly understand Lindsey, you have to understand his deep love for South Carolina and his family, and his belief that public service is a responsibility, not simply a position. To say he loves South Carolina is an understatement. He loved every every city in our small but very powerful state, and he always carried South Carolina traditions with him,” Biggs added.

Thune recalled Graham’s ability to maintain relationships with Democrats and Republicans despite his reputation for taking strong positions on contentious political and foreign policy questions.

“Senators on both sides of the aisle counted him as a friend. And Republicans and Democrats alike, including the Democrat leader, are here to say farewell,” Thune said.

“Lindsey was a towering figure here in the Senate and on the international stage. His leadership on national security and our national defense is well known,” he added. “I travel with Lindsey all over the world as part of congressional delegations, and I saw firsthand just how much he was respected by our allies and just how well he was able to connect with foreign leaders around the globe.”

“Striking, too, was the instant connection he had with the military men and women that we met. They recognized him immediately as one of their own,” Thune said.

Thune also highlighted Graham’s advocacy against abortion, describing him as an outspoken participant in the pro-life movement.

“No tribute to Lindsey’s work is complete without mentioning that he was a powerful voice for the pro-life movement. ‘Until my last breath, I will be fighting for this cause,’ he said. And he was,” Thune said.

“He was a fierce defender of Ukraine. He was a fierce defender of the unborn. And on the surface, these might seem like two completely separate issues. But it strikes me that in another way, they are both of a piece. In both cases, Lindsey Graham saw injustice and he spoke up,” Thune added. “And was as typical of Lindsey, he spoke up fearlessly.”

“‘I don’t apologize for being pro-life,’ he said in an interview in 2022, and probably on a number of other occasions. It didn’t matter to Lindsey whether an issue was popular or unpopular, whether he had the full support of his colleagues or whether he was standing alone,” Thune continued. “If he believed he was in the right, he spoke up. He told things the way he saw them. And he didn’t mince words.”

Vance used his remarks to describe Graham as personally interested in people regardless of their job, status or political influence.

“I think in part because of the way that he grew up, because the fact that he wasn’t handed everything, he was fascinated in everybody. He was a fascinated in the waitstaff in the Senate dining room,” Vance said. “He was fascinated in the people who made the food. He was fascinated in the lowest staffer who had been hired three days earlier, he was fascinated by, of course, the very leadership of our country. And I think he was fascinated in people because he loved people and he was interested in them.”

“He was the kind of guy who would walk into the Senate, and when he walked into the Senate, this was a guy who couldn’t have stood more than five foot six or five foot seven, but he’d swashbuckle in with his jacket open like he was six foot five. He had an attitude to him, and it’s one of the reasons why Lindsey Graham was Lindsey Graham,” Vance added. “But he would walk into the United States Senate and he would he would slap you on the back. He would greet the person who served his food. He treated everybody the same because he was fascinated. And he loved every single person in this chamber. And that’s a great testament to the man.”

Vance also recalled traveling with Graham during the presidential campaign and hearing a story about the senator’s years in the House.

“And if I repeated exactly what he told me, Darline, it would be the end of my political career forever,” Vance said, directing the comment to Graham’s sister. “But what I can say is that I was laughing so hard that by the time we got to the next event, I had abdominal cramps and I was barely able to speak because Lindsey Graham could make anybody laugh and he could make anybody feel at home.”

The vice president devoted another portion of his tribute to Graham’s role in the 2018 confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Christine Blasey Ford testified during Kavanaugh’s confirmation proceedings that he had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the allegation. Graham responded during the hearing by accusing Democrats of attempting to destroy Kavanaugh’s life and prevent the Senate from filling the Supreme Court vacancy.

“Before I knew Lindsey, one of the most enduring parts of his legacy is I do believe that Justice Kavanaugh would not be on the Supreme Court were it not for his fierce advocacy during a critical moment,” Vance said.

“Remember that Senate confirmation hearing where Lindsey — and by the way, he got criticism from the Republican side of the aisle for this. He would always vote for qualified Democrat judicial nominations. He came to the judicial nomination process in a spirit of bipartisanship. Again, he was criticized sometimes from our side of the aisle for that. But what he saw happening to Kavanaugh was not a policy disagreement. It was character assassination. And Lindsey got as fiery and as passionate as I have ever seen a human being get during a judicial confirmation,” Vance continued.

“And I believe that he saved that nomination. Now, that moment, of course, went viral, but Lindsey didn’t do it for social media clicks. He did it to do something at the very highest part of the Senate, which was to persuade his colleagues. And persuade his colleagues he did. I remember there were a few people who were waffling at that moment, a few people who are unsure what they were going to do. Lindsey didn’t just earn a lot of headlines. He actually persuaded people,” the vice president added.

Vance said Graham’s intervention illustrated his belief that the Senate could function as a place where lawmakers changed one another’s minds rather than merely exchanged political attacks.

“And that maybe is how I will choose most to remember my friend Lindsey Graham. He saw that the Senate, at its very worst, could be a venue for character assassination. But because he loved people, he saw that the Senate, at its very best, could be a deliberative body geared towards persuading people,” Vance said. “And that’s what Lindsey Graham did in that case and in so many others.”

“So I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a man who could disagree with you without being disagreeable. 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 concluded. “I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them and ultimately to persuade them.”

Trump offered his own assessment of Graham during an appearance Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” describing the senator as a strong military advocate who helped the administration pursue its defense priorities.

“Lindsey liked war to be honest with you, ok? And I said, ‘you’re a nice guy, how come you like war so much?’ He was a guy that liked war, I jokingly say, and there’s nothing funny about it, but he’s never seen a war that he didn’t like,” Trump said.

“He was very much into that. And, you know, for good reason. He felt that way. Some other people feel that way. But he was very much, very strong on the military. And I built a great military, and he helped me. We built it during my first term and we use it now,” Trump added.

Trump called Graham a “great guy” and a “great politician” who could bring lawmakers together when votes were needed.

“He was able to bring people together,” Trump said. “If I needed a Democrat, he could usually produce that Democrat, if I had to have them in an emergency. He was a great politician and a great gentleman.”

Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were scheduled to attend the National Cathedral funeral following the Capitol observance.

Netanyahu and his wife attended a memorial dinner in Washington on Monday night with Graham’s family, friends, members of Congress and senior administration officials.

“During the evening, the Prime Minister spoke warmly with Lindsey’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, members of her family and other guests, who paid tribute to Senator Graham’s extraordinary legacy and reaffirmed their shared commitment to combating antisemitism and strengthening the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said.

Netanyahu also delivered remarks recognizing Graham’s support for Israel and his personal relationship with the senator.

“America has lost a great patriot. Israel has lost one of its greatest friends and supporters. And I have lost a dear friend,” Netanyahu said.

Graham was among Congress’ most consistent supporters of Israel and had also become one of Ukraine’s most outspoken advocates following Russia’s invasion. He supported military action against Iran as part of efforts to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and authored legislation imposing sanctions on Russia.

The Senate is expected to consider a sanctions bill bearing Graham’s name this week.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., described Graham as a statesman whose personal history shaped his approach to military and public service.

“America lost a true statesman in the passing of Lindsey Graham, and I lost a good friend,” Scott wrote. “Through his service in the military, the United States Senate, and in his own personal life, Lindsey showed what it means to be an upstanding man. He always led with faith, family, and South Carolina first.”

Graham was raised in a working-class family and lost both parents when he was a young adult. His mother died of cancer when he was in his early 20s, and his father died of a heart attack approximately 15 months later.

Graham then assumed responsibility for his 13-year-old sister and later adopted her so that she could receive his military medical benefits.

“Lindsey came from humble beginnings. He was born into a working-class family and suffered tragedy at an early age,” Scott wrote. “When he was in his early 20s, his mother died of cancer, and just 15 months later, his father died of a heart attack. In these trying times, Lindsey raised his 13-year-old sister and later adopted her so she could receive his medical benefits.”

Scott said that experience contributed to Graham’s concern for people who believed they had been overlooked by government institutions.

“It is that same sense of duty and sacrifice that led Lindsey Graham to public service. He wanted to help people and make sure nobody felt invisible,” Scott wrote. “Through his office’s casework and his work on the Senate floor, Lindsey fought to help those who couldn’t help themselves. No matter where he was, Lindsey was always looking for people who felt like they were not seen. That is the mark of a true statesman.”

“His statesmanship was defined by his commitment to the people of South Carolina, and it cannot be stated enough. Lindsey knew that we work for our bosses: the people of South Carolina. We should serve them, not lead them,” Scott continued. “Lindsey took that approach to his job every single day, and it is that fighting attitude that cemented his legacy as a champion for American safety and security. He wanted every American to be safe wherever they were in the world, and he leaned into his beliefs because he knew he had a responsibility and an opportunity from God to make a difference.”

Graham chaired both the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. His political relationship with Trump changed considerably over the years, moving from intense rivalry during the 2016 Republican presidential primary to a close alliance during Trump’s presidencies.

Graham initially distanced himself from Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests at the Capitol but later resumed supporting him. During Trump’s second term, Graham remained a close adviser and ally, particularly on national defense and foreign policy.

Following Graham’s death, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to complete the remainder of his Senate term, which ends Jan. 3, 2027.

Nordone was sworn into office and subsequently announced that she would seek a full six-year term. Trump endorsed her campaign.

After Tuesday’s observances in Washington, Graham’s remains will return to South Carolina for additional services Wednesday. The schedule includes a final procession to the South Carolina State House, a funeral at First Baptist Church of Columbia and burial in Pickens County.