BREAKING: Trump praises life of Lindsey Graham at DC funeral
“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out.”
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“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out.”
Trump delivered remarks at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon for the funeral of late Senator Lindsey Graham, praising the “true American original” who died earlier in July.
“Today we gather in the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, and a true American original who left us much too soon, and that can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham,” Trump said.
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“By the strength of his steadfast convictions, the force of his magnetic personality, and the goodness of his noble soul, Lindsey rose from a small town in rural South Carolina, place he loved so much, to become a constant fixture of American politics at the highest level, and a force to be reckoned with all over the world.”
Trump said that for over 30 years, “nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it, and no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it.”
“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out. But even though Lindsey's life was cut short while he was still so full of vim and vigor, there can be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest. He died doing the work he was born to do. He was truly a great politician, serving the country he loved to serve so deeply. He went out at the peak of his career, the top of his game, as a legend that every one of us, many of us here today, blessed to know him and a friend that none of us will ever forget.”
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Trump recounted the life of the South Carolina lawmaker, saying, “His father taught him the key to being a successful bar owner is that you have to be funny enough that people will keep coming back, and that you have to be tough enough that you can stay in business and thrive, a very difficult combination. For his entire storied career, that's exactly who Lindsey Graham was. He was the first person to make you laugh, and one of the last people that you've really ever wanted to fight.”
He spoke on Graham losing both his mother and father in his early 20s, leaving “his 13-year-old sister, Darline, an orphan. But in God's mercy, she had her wonderful brother to take care of her. On top of it all, Lindsey became her guardian while still in college and helped raise her. He later said that for all his achievements—and he had many—his single proudest accomplishment in life was how well Darline turned out.”
Trump said that “nothing could be more fitting than that woman who was Lindsey’s proudest legacy, now continues his legacy of service in the US Senate, a place that he cherished, and I have no doubt that he is looking down today, beaming with pride at his sister, Senator Darline Graham.”
He praised Graham’s record in the halls of Congress, noting that he was the first Republican to win his House district in 120 years. “Lindsey quickly became a master at maneuvering in one of the world's great legislative bodies. He secured record funding for our military as a budget committee chairman. He delivered the largest investment in border security in history. And last year, he shepherded the passage of the largest tax cuts in American history—the great, big, beautiful bill—and a lot of Lindsey goodies in there too. I can tell you, and of course, he was also a great champion of the United States Supreme Court.”
Trump also spoke on the humorous streak the late lawmaker had, recounting that Graham had said “being lectured on the excruciating details of patent laws by a fellow Senator” was a “new form of enhanced interrogation and torture for the Guantanamo Bay area,” joked when an early prayer breakfast had been scheduled that “if Jesus Himself comes back before 10 am I ain't going,” and joked with world leaders.
Trump said that despite Graham being “extremely hawkish” on war and never seeing “a war that he didn’t like,” Graham “wanted it for the good of our country. 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.”
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He said it was the conviction that led Graham to serve 33 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, and around the world as a senator “confronting America's adversaries and standing up for America's friends.”
He said that he and Graham had not gotten off on the right foot, with Trump saying, “I did something that I shouldn’t have done, I shared his personal cell phone number with millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day.” Trump said, “That was the beginning of a friendship, in a way.”
“But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh because while I blew up his phone all for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years. It was not easy. I always cherish the memories of our golf games,” admitting that “one time, Lindsey Graham and Annika Sorenstam actually beat me and Gary Player together.”
Trump said that the putter that belonged to Graham’s father that he carried in his golf bag and a ring from Graham’s mother had been laying at Graham’s bedside the night he died. “They were there and had him with him at all times, from that pool hall where his parents raised him to the halls of the United States Senate where he was respected and loved.”
“The son of South Carolina became one of the most important men in the most important country on earth, in a city where politicians often become jaded and cynical, Lindsey Graham never lost the old-fashioned American idealism that brought him to the highest levels of government and life. He took his duty seriously without taking himself too seriously. He was unwavering in his principles, but always willing to listen. He always wanted to listen.”
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Trump said that America “needs more men and women” like Graham. “For 71 years, Lindsey Graham was strong and steadfast. As a brother, a senator, a warrior, and a patriot, he withstood every last test, every single test that you can go through in every trial. And now he wears the crown of life in heaven, reunited with his parents and reunited with his Lord. I end by saying something very, very special, Lindsey. We love you. God bless you. We will always be with you, and you are very, very special.”
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