On July 12, Trump shared that he spoke with Graham just hours before the senator’s death.
“He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon,'” the president recalled during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Trump said Graham also discussed his recent trip to Ukraine and sounded tired from his overseas travel but otherwise gave no indication that anything was seriously wrong.
Before returning to Washington, Graham had traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 10.
“Other than being tired, he was fine,” Trump said, later adding that he believed the senator’s passing was “a quick end, and maybe that’s not the worst way to go.”
Trump also paid tribute to his longtime ally on social media, writing: “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”