Longtime Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham has died. He passed away Saturday evening after a brief, serious illness, according to a statement from his office that was posted on his X and Facebook profiles. Graham had just celebrated his 71st birthday on Thursday.
Statement from the Office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). pic.twitter.com/CQ5yVvqTH1
Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 12, 2026
How quickly his passing came as a shock is underscored not least by his packed schedule. Just days earlier he had shaken hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, and an interview on U.S. television had been planned for Sunday. He had hoped to run for a fifth term in the Senate in the upcoming November midterms. U.S. President Donald Trump had offered his “unqualified and full support” for that bid.
Trump: “one of the greatest people”
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after the news spread in the U.S. overnight. “He was always working and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Graham represented South Carolina in the U.S. House starting in the mid-1990s, and his first term in the Senate began in 2003. He was widely regarded as an experienced foreign-policy hawk who stayed engaged with the world’s major flashpoints. Just days ago he could tell Ukraine that the White House supported new sanctions legislation. On Iran he spoke in favor of regime change. At the Munich Security Conference, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) praised Graham for his stance that that regime must disappear.
“Conservative problem-solver”
How Graham understood his role in politics becomes clear in the very first line of his biography on his official website. “Lindsey Graham has earned a reputation as a conservative problem-solver and as one of the staunchest advocates of a strong national defense,” it states. Graham first won a seat in the Senate in the 2002 election and was reelected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. Most recently he served as the chair of the Senate Budget Committee.
At the same time, he was also widely regarded as one of the most ardently anti-LGBTQ-rights federal politicians. In 1996 he was among the co-authors of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage nationwide as a union between a man and a woman. In 2000 he spoke out against a federal hate-crimes bill, arguing that it would “polarize” Americans. In 2015 he compared marriage equality to polygamy.
Rumors about sexual orientation
For years, rumors swirled about Lindsey Graham’s sexual orientation. Comedians frequently imitate his high-pitched Southern drawl and his theatrical mannerisms—and often hint that the bachelor, whose given name is more commonly associated with women, might be gay. There was also speculation that the high-profile Trump supporter took a hard line against LGBTQ rights in an effort to distract from his own sexuality.
From time to time, celebrities urged the senator to come out, including musical theater star Patti LuPone and comedian Chelsea Handler. In 2020, porn star and escort Sean Harding hinted that Graham preferred male sex workers, a claim reported by TheColu.mn.
Direct link | Lindsey Graham sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016—and he had to address why, as one of the few conservative U.S. politicians, he did not have a wife
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LGBTQ+ activists were divided about whether the rumors surrounding Graham’s orientation carried any positive weight. Some viewed the conjecture as inherently hostile and a violation of privacy; others argued that outing Graham would be appropriate if it exposed a form of political homophobia that affected his policy positions and harmed others. They noted that regardless of a public figure’s sexual orientation, everyone has the right to privacy, and coming out should be a personal choice. (cw/dpa)
