Watch: Friend and Fellow SC Sen. Tim Scott Sends Off Lindsey Graham With Lovely In Memoriam

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was one of those members of Congress you figured would live forever, like the late Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas or someone else of that generation of elder statemen in the GOP. It seems like he's always been around Washington to this Gen Xer. But as readers likely know, he passed away on Sunday at age 71 after a brief, sudden illness. (Later in the day, we got a little more information on Graham's death, in case you missed it.)

Almost immediately, the tributes poured out, whether on Sunday news shows or in social media posts.

Tributes Pour in for Sen. Lindsey Graham From President Donald Trump, DC, and the World (Updated)

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) appeared on CNN's State of the Union program on Sunday morning, in part to send off his fellow SC senator - and friend - with a beautiful and poignant in memoriam. It's worth watching in full, but I'll share some excerpts below.

Watch:

Senator Tim Scott pays tribute to his friend Senator Lindsey Graham: "He was one of the first folks in the Senate to welcome me with open arms." pic.twitter.com/6kpBQzvv2k
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) July 12, 2026

Host Jake Tapper asked him to recall for viewers something that they might not know about Graham, and Scott shared an anecdote that illustrated what he saw as the senator's commitment to the country - and his unique brand of humor that kept anyone who knew him in stitches:

...[O]ne of the most important stories about Lindsey Graham is that, when I was a new senator, he welcomed me in.
He knew that my path was different. He understood the power of change in South Carolina and how much our state had changed. But he was one of the first folks in the Senate to welcome me in with open arms. And I will say that I do a South Carolina prayer breakfast there every year in D.C.
And I called Lindsey the first time. And Lindsey says: "Tim, if this thing starts before 10:00 a.m., I'm not coming, because I'm not going even if Jesus comes back before 10:00 a.m."
And I just laughed out loud, and, of course, it started at 8:30. And he [sic] walked in the door at 8:31? Lindsey Graham. He was just the kind of committed person that you don't really appreciate how much -- how committed he was to America.

He also talked about Graham's difficult path in life, including the early loss of his parents, forcing him to step up and raise his younger sister (whom he later adopted). But Sen. Scott said it was in overcoming these and similar adversities that made the man who he was:

SCOTT: I can't think, Jake, of a more committed public servant to this country. His family was his sister that he adopted when he was 19 and she was 13 because their parents died within 15 months.
[...]
Because of the pain of his past, his father dying of a massive heart attack at I think it was 69 years old, his mother dying of cancer, Lindsey Graham had a passion for so many of the important issues around cancer research and around taking care of people.
He didn't want anyone to feel invisible in his presence. And he used levity and wit to help people go through really hard times. And I got to tell you, it's just a devastating loss for our state of South Carolina, and, frankly, for me as an individual.

Jake Tapper asked the Palmetto State Republican about the friendship between Sen. Graham and President Donald Trump, which had gone through a "transformation" since they were fierce GOP presidential primary opponents in 2016.

SCOTT: Yes, Jake, there's no doubt.
If you rewind more than a decade, you will find Lindsey Graham is a strong guy running for president, trying to make his case to the American people, and he was as aggressive against Donald J. Trump at the time as he could possibly be. He wanted to win. He had a strong desire to win.
And over time, however, Lindsey Graham's clarity and transparency caught the attention of President Trump. And as a result, they spent more time together. They did not always agree, but they always agreed to disagree without being disagreeable.
Now, if you were in the room, as I have been on a couple of occasions, you might not think that. But the truth of the matter is that they figured out how to have a friendship.

It was quite a journey, for sure. When I worked at Independent Journal Review (IJR) in 2015, Graham cut this video with our video production team. I think Graham would get the humor in people remembering this:

“How to Destroy Your Cell Phone With Sen. Lindsey Graham”

Lindsey Graham had a sense of humor. In July 2015, during the Republican presidential primaries, Trump retaliated against Graham (who had criticized him) by giving out Graham’s cell number to a crowd and encouraging calls… pic.twitter.com/0KX7YHrMOk
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) July 12, 2026

“How to Destroy Your Cell Phone With Sen. Lindsey Graham”
Lindsey Graham had a sense of humor. In July 2015, during the Republican presidential primaries, Trump retaliated against Graham (who had criticized him) by giving out Graham’s cell number to a crowd and encouraging calls to his number. Graham’s team worked with IJReview (Independent Journal Review) to produce a tongue-in-cheek video showing ways to “dispose” of an old phone.
It went massively viral (millions of views across platforms and news coverage).

You can also watch the clip here.

Scott continued, speaking about how the golf course was their preferred place to foster their friendship:

SCOTT: ...[A] lot of times, friendships happen not at a kitchen table, not, frankly, in the Oval Office, but, for them, it happened on the golf course. And these two guys loved golf. I think Lindsey would say, the president wins more than I do, but he played pretty aggressively against the president.
And I think it was that competitive spirit that they both loved and admired about each other. And Lindsey was super smart and witty. He had the ability to make you laugh, but he was making a point in the midst of it.
And President Trump really understood that, and their relationship over the next 10 years, so to speak, from the time they were running against each other, became something that Lindsey could count on, and President Trump could count on too.
I can tell you, they played golf together more than any two other folks in public office at any time of, I think, in history.

Senator Scott also mentioned former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was - until recently, before moving to a rehabilitiation center - recuperating in the same hospital where Graham was taken.

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SCOTT: Well, it's a time for prayer for those folks who are ailing. There's no doubt about it that Senator McConnell deserves our prayers. He served our country valiantly and continues to be in good spirits, from all that I have heard. I texted him over the weekend. I will simply say that we have a lot of work to get done and we will get our work done. But we certainly will miss Lindsey Graham. And as we focus on the next few weeks in the Senate, we will take a step back and remember that we're all human. In fact, we all have families.
We all are just there trying to serve the greatest country on the planet...But in the next 48 hours and probably beyond, we will spend time celebrating the life of Lindsey Graham, mourning the loss of Lindsey Graham, but understanding why he was so important to America, and hopefully doubling down on keeping Americans safe here at home and anywhere we travel.

In the coming days, we'll learn more about who might replace Graham to represent the people of South Carolina.

Scott called Graham a "true statesman," but it was clear that the lesson of his loss went deeper, telling the host "...I've lost a friend. It is a morning of mourning for me. It's a powerful reminder that life is fleeting, that we are not here very long."

You can watch the full interview here.

Rest in peace, Senator.

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