Many awoke Sunday morning to the stunning news of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) sudden and unexpected passing Saturday evening. Among those undoubtedly caught off guard were NBC News and “Meet the Press,” who had Graham slated to join Kristen Welker on this morning’s program, fresh off his latest trip to Ukraine.
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Instead, Welker spoke with President Donald Trump over the phone to get his reaction to the loss of Graham.
.@POTUS on the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham: “He’s a tough one to lose. He was great — he was unique in every way… He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough.” pic.twitter.com/1ql4d8KD5j
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 12, 2026
In their conversation, Trump revealed that he had just spoken to Graham earlier in the evening and wondered if he might have even been Graham’s last call:
WELKER: President Trump, thank you for joining us, and my condolences to you.
TRUMP: Well, thank you. He’s a tough one to lose. He’s…he was great. He was unique in every way, actually.
WELKER: He was, Mr. President, and I know that we are all just absorbing this news. We are all in shock. Can you tell us, Mr. President, how you received this news and your immediate gut reaction when you heard it?
TRUMP: So what makes it even stranger is that I got a call last night, sometime in, you know, the early evening, maybe in the sevens. And he called, and he said, “We’re all set for the SAVE America Act. He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy. He got back — said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, “That’s a long trip to make.” He said — he sounded a little tired, but perfect, but…a little bit tired — had a right to be. And he was a worker — he was really a worker, but he sounded great actually, but he was…he actually said he was tired.
But he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act. And I said, “Well, we’re gonna get it done, Lindsey, we’re gonna get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon.” We thought maybe we might even meet today. And then, that was it. And that was, you know…very…around the time, it couldn’t have been much longer. It could’ve been his last call. I don’t know exactly, but I got a message about 1 o’clock in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away. I said, “You gotta…I just can’t believe it.” He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough, actually. It’s amazing.
He was such an advocate — he was, you know, if he wanted to get something…and you know, he had a unique ability; he was able to deal with Democrats and Repub — if I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn’t often ask, but if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out. He was a great — he was a great politician, actually.
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ALSO SEE: Tributes Pour in for Sen. Lindsey Graham From President Donald Trump, DC, and the World
Senator Lindsey Graham Passes Away at Age 71
President Trump also spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday morning, revealing what he believed to be Graham’s finest moment:
In a separate interview with CNN on Sunday morning, Trump revealed to anchor Jake Tapper what he considered to be Graham’s finest moment in the US Senate: his defense of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
Indeed, Graham will be remembered for many things and in many ways, but few will forget his righteous defense of Brett Kavanaugh.
The White House, on Sunday morning, shared an image of a fun moment between Graham and Trump earlier this year.
https://t.co/e7HB57Urpg pic.twitter.com/KvrgJFZfNJ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 12, 2026
Rest in peace, Senator.
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