‘He loved Israel’: Lindsey Graham eulogized by Trump and other dignitaries at DC funeral

Members of the military stand outside of the U.S Capitol to practice for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is funeral ceremony, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Members of the military stand outside of the U.S Capitol to practice for Sen.

(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who rose to become one of his generation’s more influential U.S. politicians at home and abroad, was eulogized Tuesday as “a true American original” during memorial services in Washington.

Graham’s flag-draped casket arrived for a tribute at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican served for more than 30 years as an indefatigable dealmaker who talked and laughed and badgered his colleagues into action. Later, President Donald Trump joined foreign leaders for a funeral at Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage.

Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.” In mostly prepared remarks, Trump described his onetime presidential rival turned ally as “the first person to make you laugh and one of the last people that you’ve really ever wanted to fight.” Trump told the story of how he had publicly disclosed Graham’s cellphone number on the campaign trail, reciting the number in the cathedral, but said the senator had the last laugh because “Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years.” Among those gathered were Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of two countries fighting separate wars, a nod to Graham’s role as a foremost believer in the power of the U.S. and its military to intervene in the world’s problems. Fox News’ Sean Hannity said in his remarks that Graham would have been moved.

Trump Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and current and former senators and lawmakers joined in the pews, as did Graham’s sister, now- Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed by the state’s governor to fill the remainder of her brother’s term. It was the start of two days of services, with burial Wednesday in Graham’s home state of South Carolina.

Joint Base Charleston will be renamed in his honor, an Ai… Netanyahu and Zelensky, both of whose countries were strongly backed by the late senator, join US leaders in remembering Graham, who Trump quips 'never saw a war he didn't like' The post ‘He loved Israel’: Lindsey Graham eulogized by Trump and other dignitaries at DC funeral appeared first on The Times of Israel. Donald Trump had trouble keeping his eyes open at the funeral for friend and ally Lindsey Graham.