Trump reveals what Lindsey Graham talked about in final call 'moments before' death

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday, July 12, what Senator Lindsey Graham talked about in one of his final conversations, just moments before his sudden death.

The president said Graham called him after returning from Ukraine and sounded tired but otherwise well.

Trump recalled that emergency responders arrived shortly after the call, making it one of the senator's last known conversations.

Trump recounts Lindsey Graham's final phone call

Speaking on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday, Trump reflected on the loss of the longtime South Carolina senator, who died on Saturday at age 71 following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness."

"Well, it's devastating. I thought he was fine. He called me last night," Trump said.

According to Trump, Graham spent much of the conversation describing his latest trip to Ukraine and the legislative priorities that remained on his mind.

"He just got back from Ukraine, and he had a great trip. He was telling me about the trip. He was pushing very, very hard. You probably know, he wanted to do the SAVE America Act. He was talking about that," Trump said.

As per Trump, Graham's only complaint during the conversation was fatigue from the lengthy trip.

"He was full of vim and vigor. He was tired. He said, 'I'm tired because it's a long trip'. But other than that, he was fine," Trump said.

Trump then recalled the timing of the conversation, saying it likely ended only minutes before medical personnel were dispatched.

"And he called me, I guess, just moments before. Because he called me like at 6.30 or something. And the, uh, the medical people got there a little bit later, right after that. What a terrible loss it is," he said.

Lindsey Graham remained active on foreign policy

Graham had returned from Kyiv after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. According to the BBC report, “there were no known health concerns before the trip.”

Throughout his Senate career, “Graham was among Washington's most prominent voices on foreign policy. He strongly backed military aid to Ukraine and supported sanctions against Russia,” the outlet reported.

Following news of his death, Trump described Graham as a "true American Patriot" who would be "greatly missed."

Zelensky also paid tribute on X, writing that he was "deeply saddened" by Graham's death and adding, "America and the world have lost a determined leader."

Graham was one of Trump's closest allies

Graham's relationship with Trump changed dramatically over the past decade. After sharply criticizing Trump's presidential campaign in 2015 and saying in 2016 that Republicans would "get destroyed" if they nominated him, Graham later became one of Trump's closest allies.

He voted against convicting Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial and backed his 2024 presidential campaign.

In a 2023 interview with the BBC, Graham explained his support by saying, "There is a dark side to Donald Trump... and he was a very good president. But I am sticking with him because I saw what he did."

One of Graham's last televised interviews came on CBS's 'Face the Nation' last month, where he said the US would "obliterate" Iran if the country did not submit to US control of the Strait of Hormuz.