President Donald Trump honored the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, describing him as a “beloved friend” during a memorial service Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
During his eulogy, Trump quoted the Bible’s James chapter 1, verse 12, saying, “Scripture tells us, ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the Crown of Life.’”
“For 71 years, Lindsey Graham was strong and steadfast. As a brother, a senator, a warrior, and a patriot, he withstood every last test … and every trial. And now, he wears the Crown of Life in Heaven — reunited with his parents and reunited with his Lord,” the president added.
.@POTUS: “Scripture tells us, ‘Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the Crown of Life.’ For 71 years, Lindsey Graham was strong and steadfast. As a brother, a Senator, a warrior, and a patriot, he withstood every… pic.twitter.com/lgTOdDj8HC
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 28, 2026
Trump further said of Graham, “He was a man who gave the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out.”
Did you watch any of Lindsey Graham’s funeral?
“But even though Lindsey’s life was cut short while he was still so full of vim and vigor, there can be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest. He died doing the work he was born to do. He was truly a great politician,” the president said.
In a lighter moment during Trump’s remarks, he recounted that he and the senator did not get off on the best foot, as they both sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
After Graham said something “rather nasty” about him, Trump admitted that he did something that he probably should not have done and gave out the senator’s cell number live on air during a campaign speech.
“His phone exploded,” Trump recalled.
“That was the beginning of a friendship, in a way,” the president noted.
“I remember the number… if anybody wants to give it a shot.”
While honoring Lindsey Graham at his funeral, Trump gets laughs by recalling the day he famously gave out the senator’s personal cell phone number during the 2016 Republican primary after the two clashed on the… pic.twitter.com/Bc9oGF8r4o
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) July 28, 2026
“But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh,” Trump argued, “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. It was not easy.”
Graham died on July 11 of a ruptured aorta after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, 62, to serve the remainder of his term.
The New York Times reported that in 1976, the late senator and Darline lost their mother to cancer, and just 15 months later, their father died of a heart attack. Graham was 22, and his sister was just 13.
Graham joined the Air Force and became his sister’s legal guardian, allowing her to qualify for his military benefits. He went on to serve for 33 years in the military, first on active duty, then in the South Carolina Air National Guard, and finally in the Air Force Reserve, reaching the rank of colonel.
Darline credited him with making sure she finished high school and then went to college.
The senator told C-SPAN in 2015, “Of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it by far.”
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