What we're covering
• Lawmaker remembered: Funeral services for longtime GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11 at the age of 71, are taking place in Washington, DC, today. The services in DC will honor Graham’s service in the Air Force and include a special ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda.
• Tributes from the president and senators: Donald Trump delivered remarks during the funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. Vice President JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke at the US Capitol. Graham was a key Trump ally and conduit to the president on Capitol Hill.
• Two days of services: Today is the first of two days of ceremonies for Graham. Tomorrow he will be honored in his home state of South Carolina with a procession at the state house and a private burial.
Hannity says Graham "was great for ratings"
Fox News host Sean Hannity remembered his friendship with Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was a frequent guest on his show.
The South Carolina Republican “was great for ratings because people listened to him. He drew you in, he had that passion to draw you in,” Hannity said.
He also noted Graham was a “shameless self-promoter” when he was on TV. “I don’t think any one person ever said LindseyGraham.com more than Lindsey Graham, and then he’d call me hours later and tell me how much money he raised on my show that night,” Hannity recalled.
“And over and over, if he were here today, I’m sure he would not miss a chance to say DarlineGraham.com. I’ll say it for him,” Hannity added, giving a plug for the late senator’s sister, who has filled his seat in the Senate and is running to succeed him.
Hannity thanked President Donald Trump for his friendship with Graham, saying, “he loved you as he loved his country.”
“Mr. President, you gave him the greatest gift of his life, and that was a front-row seat at the highest levels of history in the making. It meant the world to him,” Hannity said.
The Fox News host also noted that he and Graham didn’t always see eye to eye.
“I want to say, for the record, Lindsey and I did not always agree, not on everything, but we could disagree and we could remain friends, and we remained friends for decades.”
Trump recalls "nasty" fight when he publicly shared Graham's cell phone number
President Donald Trump reflected on his friendship with the late Senator Lindsey Graham during remarks at Graham’s memorial service Tuesday, recounting when the two ran against each other in the 2016 presidential campaign and Trump publicly shared the senator’s personal phone number.
“Back in 2016, Lindsey said something rather nasty on his flight to becoming the next president of the United States,” Trump told mourners gathered at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. “So naturally, I did something that I shouldn’t have done — I shared his personal cell phone number with the millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day.”
During the 2016 GOP primary, Trump and Graham traded barbs on the campaign trail, prompting Trump to read out the digits of his primary rival’s personal cell phone to a crowd of hundreds live during a 2015 South Carolina rally, calling Graham an “idiot” during his remarks. The South Carolinian shortly after made a video about destroying the phone and changed his number.
Speaking during the memorial service Tuesday, Trump took a more circumspect approach to the incident, joking, “His phone totally — I don’t know what he did with it — but it exploded. That was the beginning of a friendship, in a way.”
“But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” he joked. “It was not easy.”
Graham likely "beaming with pride" that his sister filled his Senate seat, Trump says
“He had total respect and love for Darline,” he said. “Nothing could be more fitting than that woman, who was Lindsey’s proudest legacy, now continues his legacy of service in the US Senate.”
Trump during his eulogy recounted Graham’s assumption of guardianship over Darline Graham after both of their parents died, helping raise her while he was still in college. Lindsey Graham had previously called Darline his “single proudest accomplishment” in his life, Trump said.
Darline Graham has since agreed to serve out the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term, and is planning to run for a full term in November.
“I have no doubt that he is looking down today, beaming with pride at his sister,” Trump said.
Trump jokes that "not everybody" always liked "tough cookie" Graham
President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s ability to work across the political aisle, even as he acknowledged that “not everybody” always liked him.
“No matter how heated things got in Washington, virtually everyone — Republican or Democrat — liked Lindsey,” Trump said during his eulogy, before adding, to laughter in the audience: “Well, not everybody, but it sounds good. Not everybody. He was a tough cookie.”
The president also singled out Graham’s role in rallying support for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, calling his impassioned speech on Kavanaugh’s behalf “Lindsey’s, perhaps, finest hour.”
“It was a truly monumental moment in Senate history,” Trump said of the speech Graham delivered during a committee hearing defending Kavanaugh.
Trump says "nothing of consequence" happened in Washington "without Lindsey Graham knowing about it"
President Donald Trump, at the beginning of remarks paying tribute to the late Sen. Lindsay Graham at Washington’s National Cathedral, said “nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsay Graham knowing about it,” emphasizing the senator’s decades of public service.
“Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it, and no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it,” Trump said, later adding that Graham died “at the peak of his career.”
“He was the first person to make you laugh,” Trump said. “And one of the last people that you’ve really ever wanted to fight.”
Graham’s casket enters Cathedral as service begins
Graham’s casket was carried into the Cathedral by military pallbearers, followed by his honorary pallbearers, as the funeral service began before a packed congregation. The casket was placed on the floor near the front of the church, close to President Donald Trump’s seat.
The late Sen. Graham’s family members, including his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, were escorted to their seats shortly before the service began. Graham’s niece, Emily Boggs Roberts, will deliver a tribute to her uncle during the service.
Justice Kavanaugh pays respects to senator who helped save his confirmation
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who owes his coveted seat on the Supreme Court in large part to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s heated defense of his confirmation in 2018, is attending the late senator’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.
Kavanaugh, who was President Donald Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, appeared to be flailing in the Senate after allegations of sexual assault by psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations, but some Republican senators at the time appeared to waver.
In emotional remarks during an additional committee hearing to review those allegations, Graham blasted Democrats for creating a “sham” and admonished his fellow Republicans to back Trump’s nominee or risk “legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.”
Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed 50-48.
Speaking recently to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” Trump described Graham’s defense of Kavanaugh as his “finest moment.”
Funeral service at National Cathedral underway now
The funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham at Washington’s National Cathedral has begun. President Donald Trump and others are set to speak soon.
Trump Cabinet members and other high-profile guests attend Graham's funeral
Several members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are filling the pews of the Washington National Cathedral Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, plus some other high-profile guests.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance are sitting in the front row, and Cabinet members in attendance include: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
Also in attendance: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Honorary pallbearers include former GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss
The eight honorary pallbearers chosen for the National Cathedral funeral are largely long-time Graham Senate and campaign staff members, with the notable exception of former Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.
Chambliss and Graham were both elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1994, and they later entered the Senate together in 2003. Chambliss retired from the Senate in 2015.
Trump's motorcade arrives at Washington National Cathedral
President Donald Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Washington National Cathedral after about a 12-minute drive.
The ceremony is expected to get underway inside the church soon.
Graham's hearse arrives at National Cathedral for funeral service
The hearse carrying the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket has arrived at the National Cathedral. The service, which will be attended by President Donald Trump, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and foreign dignitaries from around the world, is expected to begin at 2 pm ET.
Netanyahu remembers Graham: "Israel has lost one of its greatest friends"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a memorial dinner honoring Lindsey Graham last night, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The dinner, held in the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, was attended by Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu. At the event, Netanyahu emphasized Graham’s commitment to US-Israeli relations.
Other notable guests in attendance included Graham’s family, members of Congress, and senior government officials.
Graham was an "invaluable counselor" to Trump during first term, Pence says
Former Vice President Mike Pence is remembering the legacy of not only his friend Lindsey Graham, but also someone who was a “champion of American leadership on the world stage.”
Pence, who first met Graham when they both served in the US House of Representatives and got to know him well throughout their long political careers, said he admired that the late senator was always committed to the principles of freedom and limited government.
Graham was also deeply devoted to the armed forces. He had an extensive military career, which included more than six years as an active-duty Air Force lawyer before transitioning to the South Carolina Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserves.
This was “one of the most compelling things” about Graham, Pence told CNN’s Dana Bash ahead of the funeral at the Washington National Cathedral this afternoon.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Pence said Graham was an “invaluable counselor” to the administration, especially in his support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and how he “spoke clearly with moral clarity” about threats from Iran and China.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that in our time and since, that President Donald Trump listened to and, on occasion, was moved by the clarity and the vision and the leadership of Sen. Lindsey Graham,” Pence said.
Graham remained an ally of the president in his second term, and Trump is expected to speak at the funeral.
Graham's evolving relationship with Trump reflected the Republican Party
Lindsey Graham came to embody the evolution of the Republican Party as a critic to Donald Trump who turned fiercely loyal, eventually growing to be one of the president’s closest advisers on Capitol Hill.
Graham briefly ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2015, arguing the GOP needed to tell Trump, his then-rival, to “go to hell” after Trump proposed a ban on Muslims coming to the US.
But Graham went on to become a close ally to Trump, though he still broke with Trump at times. Hours after rioters stormed the Capitol to try to block the certification of the 2020 election, Graham acknowledged that Joe Biden, his former Senate colleague, was lawfully elected to be president, despite Trump’s baseless claims that he had won.
But the pair repaired their relationship in the coming months, and by Trump’s second term, Graham became one of his most trusted voices in the Senate, at one point calling himself the president’s “North Star.”
Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he had spoken with Graham just hours before his death, when the senator had returned from Ukraine.
“What a terrible loss it is,” the president added. “He’s a great politician. He was a natural.”
CNN’s Jedd Rosche, Matthew Rehbein, Lauren Fox, Tim Lister, Ted Barrett, Nicky Robertson, Jamie Gumbrecht and Diego Mendoza contributed to this report.
Netanyahu expected to attend Graham's funeral during US visit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to attend today’s funeral of Lindsey Graham, the prime minister’s office said in a statement last week.
Netanyahu is visiting the US today and meeting President Donald Trump at the White House, Trump confirmed in his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday.
Netanyahu said Israel had lost “one of its greatest friends” after Graham died.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” he said.
Senators and members of the administration approach the casket as they leave the rotunda
Members of the administration, senators and former senators passed by the casket as they left the rotunda, with some pausing to say goodbye.
Sen. Katie Britt was crying as she took a moment in front of the casket. Britt told CNN last week Graham had served as a kind of mentor and teacher during her first few years in the Senate, making sure she could get a seat at the table during important negotiations.
Britt laid a hand on her heart, then kissed her palm and laid it on the casket before she stepped away.
Former Sen. Richard Burr bent down and kissed the flag draping the casket when he approached to pay his respects.
Sen. Darline Graham rests her hand on casket, takes a moment at end of ceremony
Sen. Darline Graham was the first to approach her late brother’s casket as the Army band played during the end of the ceremony at the US Capitol. She laid one hand on the top of the flag draping the casket and waited a few moments before going back to her seat.
Graham’s other family members and his staff followed, with some becoming emotional during the moment of farewell.
Vance praises Graham as loyal Senate colleague
Vice President JD Vance praised his former Senate colleague Lindsey Graham as a person who would argue with you one minute, but was “working for the things that you cared about in the next.”
At a Capitol ceremony Tuesday morning, Vance told the story of despite having an “intense argument” with Graham about funding for Ukraine while both were in the Senate, Graham still helped the vice president with rail legislation he cared about.
When Vance asked about why he would help him with this bill, which Graham had no direct interest in, Vance recalled Graham told him, “Well, I don’t care about it, but you do.”
“And that was the kind of colleague he could be — a person you argued with and fought with in one minute, but behind the scenes, without collecting an ounce of credit, was working for you and working for the things that you cared about in the next. That was who Lindsey Graham was,” he said.
Wreaths presented by Graham's casket at Capitol ceremony
Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House GOP Reps. Joe Wilson and Sheri Biggs of South Carolina presented wreaths by Graham’s casket.
The wreaths represent condolences from the executive branch, the Senate and the House, respectively.
