Lindsey Graham’s funeral brings Trump’s remarks and world leaders to DC

WASHINGTON - Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who became one of his generation’s most influential U.S. politicians, will be honored Tuesday during memorial services across Washington, D.C.

Graham’s remains will arrive at the U.S. Capitol, where he served more than 30 years as a dealmaker known for talking, laughing and flattering colleagues into action. 

Graham Honored

• An arrival ceremony will be held at the U.S. Capitol, and a short program will follow in the Rotunda Tuesday morning. The ceremony will be closed to the public.
• Washington National Cathedral will host a funeral service for U.S. Senator Lindsey O. Graham on July 28 at 2 pm ET. The service is not open to the public.

A later funeral at Washington National Cathedral will draw lawmakers and foreign leaders, underscoring his reach on the global stage.

President Donald Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the cathedral, along with Fox News host Sean Hannity and other conservative figures. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy plan to attend, reflecting Graham’s long‑held belief in U.S. military strength and global engagement.

The services mark the start of two days of tributes. Graham will be buried Wednesday in South Carolina. He died suddenly July 11 at his Washington home of a likely aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his birthday, and a visit to Ukraine. He was 71.

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Final Goodbyes

The morning ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda offers a place of tribute where former presidents, military leaders and other prominent Americans have been memorialized. An Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will carry Graham’s remains in recognition of his Air Force service. Vice President JD Vance is expected to speak.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was fitting to give Graham a special Capitol honor "as we say our final goodbyes," calling him more than a colleague, a friend.

Graham was first elected to Congress in 1994 during the Republican wave that swept the GOP to power. He was part of a new generation of conservatives in the House and among the first Republicans from his Southern state since Reconstruction.

He rose to prominence as a manager in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment and won a Senate seat in 2002. There, he formed a close alliance with Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman, the "three amigos," traveling the world and focusing on national security.

For decades, Graham was at the center of congressional dealmaking, joining nearly every bipartisan "gang" and adapting to shifting political realities, especially in his relationship with Trump.

The ‘Trump whisperer’ & Russia sanctions

Graham’s political agility was most evident in his evolving stance toward Trump. He called Trump a "kook" and "unfit for office" during the 2016 primary but later aligned himself with the president, until the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

"Count me out. Enough is enough," he said in a fiery floor speech that night.

Weeks later, Trump invited him to Mar‑a‑Lago, rekindling their partnership. Graham said he wanted Trump to succeed, and as Trump won a second term in 2024, Graham sought to remain influential.

He became what Sen. Adam Schiff called the "Trump whisperer," someone colleagues and world leaders relied on to interpret the president’s thinking.

Days before his death, Graham secured Trump’s backing for a bipartisan plan to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, one of the strongest U.S. efforts yet to limit Vladimir Putin’s ability to prolong the conflict.

Senators said they hoped to pass the sanctions package quickly as a tribute to Graham, with a procedural vote scheduled Tuesday. Zelenskyy is expected to meet with senators in the evening.

Graham’s champions & potential successors

At the cathedral, socially conservative and anti‑abortion leaders are expected to participate, including Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony Pro‑Life America and the Rev. William Franklin Graham III.

Graham never married but helped support his younger sister, Darline Graham, who is now a potential successor. She has been appointed to fill the remainder of his Senate term and is running in a crowded primary for the fall election. The filing deadline for the special primary is Tuesday, with voting set for Aug. 11.

Graham’s parents died while he was in college and law school, leaving him guardian to his 13‑year‑old sister. He often spoke of how Social Security helped keep them financially stable.

He served as a judge advocate general in the Air Force and remained in the reserves or National Guard for decades. During the Iraq War, he briefly returned to active duty to advise the Air Force. He received the Bronze Star in 2014 and retired as a colonel in 2015.