Sen. Lindsey Graham’s political relationship with President Donald Trump evolved from one of the Republican Party’s most public rivalries into one of the administration’s closest foreign policy partnerships, culminating in Graham becoming one of Trump’s most trusted advisers on international affairs before his death.
Graham died Saturday at age 71 after returning from his 10th trip to Ukraine.
He had been preparing to advance bipartisan legislation imposing additional sanctions on Russia and remained actively engaged in several major foreign policy initiatives involving Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and NATO.
The relationship between Trump and Graham began on contentious terms during the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
In 2015, Graham called Trump a “jackass” and warned fellow Republicans that nominating him would be a mistake.
Trump responded during the campaign by publicly reading Graham’s personal cellphone number at a rally and encouraging supporters to call the South Carolina senator.
Despite that early conflict, the two men developed a close working relationship over the following decade.
Trump entered office promising to end what he described as America’s “endless wars” while challenging long-standing Republican foreign policy positions.
Graham, meanwhile, remained one of Congress’ strongest advocates for projecting American military power overseas.
Rather than distancing himself from Trump, Graham became one of the few Republican lawmakers with consistent access to the president on matters involving national security.
Throughout his Senate career, Graham focused heavily on foreign policy. He frequently traveled overseas, meeting with world leaders, visiting conflict zones, and participating in diplomatic discussions involving U.S. allies.
By the final years of his Senate service, Graham’s office had become a regular destination for foreign officials seeking insight into the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities.
Following Graham’s death, Trump reflected on their relationship during interviews.
“He would call me all the time,” Trump told Fox News on Monday.
“I’d say, ‘Stop calling me, Lindsey.’ It was amazing. He just never stopped. He was a worker — a total workaholic politician.”
Trump also described Graham as “like a member of the family” and said the senator was among the final people he spoke with after Graham returned from Ukraine only hours before his death.
According to colleagues, Graham remained focused on Senate business until the end of his life.
Before his death, Graham reportedly told a confidant that he was not feeling well but joked he could not die because he still had work to finish.
Among his priorities were advancing a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, continuing efforts toward Saudi-Israel normalization, and addressing the Trump administration’s approach toward Iran.
His most recent overseas trip marked his 10th visit to Ukraine. Graham maintained relationships with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other foreign leaders.
Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and a Fox News senior strategic analyst, said Graham believed diplomacy required direct engagement.
“He wasn’t interested in writing op-ed pieces or making speeches, he wanted firsthand contact with leaders of the world,” Keane told Fox News Digital.
“He was interested in getting the results.”
Keane also recalled Graham’s assessment after the 2016 Republican primary.
“He understood the American people better than we did, and shame on us for not doing it as effectively as him,” Graham said at the time, according to Keane.
Keane said Graham deliberately sought to become an adviser to Trump.
“Graham knew the world better than almost anyone in Washington, and he likely knew many foreign leaders better than President Trump’s own appointees,” Keane said.
“He made a conscious decision to help the president by offering advice and counsel, which grew into both a personal and professional relationship.”
Graham’s foreign policy views were shaped alongside the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the late Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.
The three lawmakers, commonly known as the “Three Amigos,” frequently traveled together and promoted an interventionist approach to American foreign policy.
Although Graham occasionally differed with Trump on specific issues, including negotiations with Iran and U.S. policy toward Russia, he continued working closely with the White House.
After Trump announced a memorandum of understanding with Iran in June, Graham argued that any permanent agreement should receive congressional review and suggested Vice President JD Vance would eventually defend the proposal before Congress.
In the weeks before his death, Graham reached an agreement with the administration to move his long-delayed Russia sanctions legislation forward after more than a year of negotiations with the White House.
Graham also remained a strong supporter of NATO and advocated for increased defense spending among European allies while maintaining that the alliance remained essential to deterring Russia.
Support for Israel remained another cornerstone of his foreign policy agenda. Graham spent years working to strengthen cooperation between Israel and Arab nations and viewed Saudi-Israeli normalization as a significant strategic objective.
Following Graham’s death, lawmakers and administration officials reflected on his influence.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., wrote on X that Graham possessed a “kid-like exuberance about his job and the responsibilities he was given.”
“Even in his sixties, he would get off a plane in a foreign land with a twinkle in his eye and look at me as if to say, can you believe we are actually here and doing this?” she wrote.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also paid tribute on X.
“Very rarely in life do you get to be exactly where you want to be, when you want to be there, with who you want to be with, doing precisely what you want to do — that was every moment for Lindsey,” Miller wrote.
“Lindsey was a senator’s senator. The job was everything to him. Truly did he believe in the splendor of the office and the noble lineage behind it, of which he was the worthy heir.”
Ukrainian officials also expressed concern about the loss of one of Kyiv’s strongest advocates in Washington.
“Huge and absolutely unexpected loss,” Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, told the Associated Press.
“He was truly indispensable. I even don’t know who might be as important for us now in Trump’s entourage.”
“He was the closest link between Ukraine, our president, and Trump,” Merezhko added. “Our position in Trump’s entourage might be weaker.”
It remains uncertain who will lead Graham’s Russia sanctions legislation through the Senate or assume the role he played as a bridge between the White House, Congress, and foreign leaders.