U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal supporters on Capitol Hill after Trump became president, has died at age 71.
Reuters reported that the South Carolina lawmaker died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office posted on X early today. U.S. media said emergency personnel had responded to a call for cardiac arrest at his Capitol Hill home last night.
Graham, just back from a trip to Ukraine, had been scheduled to appear on the “Meet the Press” interview programme this morning, the network said.
Shortly after his death was announced, Trump called Graham “one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known” and a hard-working patriot.
A defense hawk, Graham “consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests,” his website said.
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