Lindsey Graham, US Senator And Donald Trump's Close Aide, Dies At 71

US Senator Lindsey Graham has died at 71 after a "brief and sudden illness," his office said on Sunday. Graham, who was a close aide of US President Donald Trump, died on Saturday evening, his office said in a statement posted on X."Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," it said.Statement from the Office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). pic.twitter.com/CQ5yVvqTH1 - Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 12, 2026A member of the Republican Party, Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020.A resident of South Carolina, he was the first person in his state to get over one million votes in the 2008 general election.Graham was the first member of his family to go to college, earning his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. He then served about six years as a US Air Force lawyer.After leaving the active duty Air Force in 1989, he joined the South Carolina Air National Guard, where he served until his election to the US House of Representatives in 1994.In 1994, Graham became the first Republican to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District in Washington since 1877.In Donald Trump's second term, Lindsey Graham had become an influential member on foreign policy.He was also one of the Republicans who had advocated for the war against Iran.