The funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, took place Tuesday afternoon at the Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital.
Hundreds of mourners attended, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and many other world leaders.
Graham passed away unexpectedly on July 11. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and was reelected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. Earlier, in 1994, he was elected to the House of Representatives, representing South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Most recently, he served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment & Public Works committees.
Graham was a strong supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, pushed for military action against Iran, and was a longtime advocate for Israel. In a documentary, he said he nearly cried with joy when the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran in February. He also voiced support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion in 2022.
President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the funeral, calling Graham a force in world and American politics. Trump referred to Graham as 'a dear friend' and said he 'died doing the job he was born to do.'
'For more than 30 years, nothing consequential happened in this capital that Lindsey Graham didn't know about. Nothing important happened anywhere in the world that Lindsey Graham didn't have an opinion about,' Trump said. 'And no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history that Lindsey Graham didn't have a voice in.'
He added: 'He gave America his entire good and powerful heart until that heart stopped beating.'
