President Donald Trump spoke at the funeral of the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. During his eulogy, he moved away from his prepared remarks to comment on how well-liked Graham was, according to The New Republic.
The funeral brought together television personalities, top lawmakers, and foreign leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were among those in attendance.
While speaking about Graham’s life, Trump departed from his written speech to address one specific point about the senator.
Trump departs from prepared remarks mid-eulogy
Trump began by saying, “Virtually everyone – Republican or Democrat – liked Lindsey.” He then paused and added, “Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. Not everybody. He was a tough cookie, OK? I have to be – I have to veer from this for a second.”
Trump then spoke directly to Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, who has temporarily taken over his Senate seat. “He was a tough cookie, Darline, but he was beautiful,” Trump said.
Graham died on July 11. His office described his death as the result of a “brief and sudden illness,” and some online speculated about the cause. A preliminary medical report released the next morning reportedly found that Graham died from a tear in his aorta, caused by hardened arteries.
During his remarks, Trump talked about his friendship with Graham, which grew over the years the two spent in politics. He brought up a moment from the 2016 presidential campaign, when he shared Graham’s personal cell phone number in public during a heated moment.
Trump recalled that Graham later told him, “I had that number for 20 years.” Trump said he did not know what happened to the phone afterward, but that it “totally… exploded” with calls.
Trump said the incident, despite causing trouble for Graham at the time, ended up being the start of their friendship. “But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone for one day, we became great friends and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” Trump said.
Trump also spoke about Graham’s long-standing support for U.S. military involvement abroad. He said Graham “never saw a war he didn’t like.” Graham was also known for his strong push for military spending throughout his time in the Senate.
Describing Graham’s approach to foreign policy, Trump said, “He felt in his bones that our destiny is to win, and that his job was to do everything he could to ensure our enemies would lose.”
