Trump's Final Call with Lindsey Graham Before Sudden Death Shocks Nation
President Donald Trump expressed disbelief over the abrupt death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, revealing they spoke just over an hour before Graham's passing.
The Republican, aged 71, succumbed to a “brief and sudden illness” on a Saturday night, according to his office.
Graham was scheduled to appear on NBC News’s Meet the Press the following morning. Instead, Trump called in and recounted their conversation from early Saturday evening, stating it occurred “in the sevens.”
Emergency dispatch audio confirmed that EMS responded to a cardiac arrest call at Graham’s Washington D.C. residence around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
“I got a call last night sometime in the early evening... he called, and he said that we’re all set for the SAVE America Act. He was pushing the Save America Act like crazy,” Trump recounted. “He said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, that’s a long trip to make. He sounded a little tired. Perfect, but a little tired, but he had the right to be.”
Trump added: “He was a worker. He was really a worker, but he sounded great. He said that 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.”
Graham's death followed closely after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
Trump remarked that their conversation “could’ve been his last call.” He received a message around 1 a.m. from Graham’s office notifying him of the senator's death.
“I said, ‘I can’t believe it.’ He was like a member of the family to me, it’s very tough,” Trump stated. “He was a great politician.”
First responders arrived at Graham’s Capitol Hill home for a report of chest pains, as indicated by an extended audio clip obtained from emergency services.
An unidentified woman who called 911 claimed she was not home and informed dispatchers that the door was unlocked.
However, EMS reported that the deadbolt was secured and they knocked on the door “repeatedly,” but received no response. DC firefighters ultimately forced entry into the residence, as revealed in the audio.
Approximately 25 minutes later, EMS reported that CPR was in progress for a man suffering from cardiac arrest.
The dispatch calls did not mention Graham by name but referred to the patient as being 73 years old. Graham had just turned 71 two days prior.
A photograph published by NBC News showed paramedics treating an individual on a stretcher being transported from the house to an ambulance, with police cars and fire trucks present at the scene.
A staff member in Graham’s office stated there were no signs indicating the senator felt unwell leading up to his death. He was set to make his 64th appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press that Sunday morning.
Graham’s office has not released further details regarding his death. His family requested privacy during this challenging time and expressed gratitude for prayers.
