Trump Unleashes Controversial ‘Racehorse Theory’ on Lindsey Graham’s Sudden Death

Donald Trump has jumped headfirst into the swirling conspiracy theories about former Senator Lindsey Graham’s death, invoking the contentious “racehorse theory.”

This bizarre theory, which draws parallels between human genetics and horse breeding, has faced heavy backlash from critics who equate it to eugenics.

Graham’s unexpected demise occurred on July 11 due to a ruptured aorta, just after he returned from Ukraine, igniting rampant speculation regarding the circumstances of his passing.

During an appearance on Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports, Trump revealed his thoughts on Graham’s death after Kelly suggested that Graham had previously called for Putin to be “taken out.”

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“The Russians… They have a habit of poisoning people they don’t like,” Kelly remarked, questioning whether Americans have been given the complete story about Graham’s death.

Trump responded to the conspiracy theory during the interview, humorously stating he would “love to say ‘yes’” to the notion that foul play was involved.

He elaborated, “His father died just about at the same age from… you know, I’m a believer in the racehorse theory, you know. If you have problems, you have problems.”

Michael D’Antonio, a biographer of Trump, characterized the racehorse theory as the belief that combining superior genes results in superior offspring. Critics have condemned this belief as reminiscent of eugenics.

In the same Newsmax interview, Trump asserted that he believes Americans have been fully informed about Graham’s death and that “great doctors” had examined the case.

“And they talked about, you know, a certain part of his body literally blew up,” Trump stated. “And, that’s a condition I believe his father had also. His father died very, very young from heart complications.”

Trump suggested that the issue was “hard to see” and “hard to fix.”

“He had the problem with arteries. And, I thought he was like a 70 percent blockage,” Trump continued. “I said, ‘Lindsey, you’re gonna have to go and take care of that’.”

He concluded with, “But this was not that problem. This was a different problem that wasn’t really related.”

Initially, Graham’s office confirmed that he passed away from a “brief and sudden illness.”

On Sunday, Graham’s office released a preliminary report from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia, indicating he died from an aortic rupture due to hardened arteries.

During the Newsmax segment, Trump mentioned he spoke with Graham shortly after his return from Ukraine and just before his death. He described Graham as a “worker” and a “great politician.”

The relationship between Trump and Graham has evolved significantly over time. In 2015, Graham labeled Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” during a CNN interview.

However, by 2018, when asked if Trump was a racist by the same network, Graham responded: “Absolutely not.”

In 2025, Trump referred to Graham on Truth Social as a “wonderful friend” who has “always been there.”