Trump reveals Lindsey Graham's final wishes on Iran were to 'make a deal'

President Trump said that deceased South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham "liked war" but had been urging him to end the conflict in Iran before his death. Graham died on July 11 at the age of 71. 

"Very interesting with Lindsey," Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News. "He was very much a hawk, as you would say, on Iran. Over the last few weeks, he became like, 'It's better to make a deal in this case than just destroying the rest of the country.' He was somebody that said it's a good time to make a deal."

"Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you," Trump continued. "I said, 'You're a nice guy. How come you like war so much?' I jokingly say, and there is nothing funny about it. He's never seen a war he didn't like."

Graham was a primary architect and cheerleader for US military intervention against Iran, calling the conflict "the best money ever spent" and "the best thing," according to leaked documentary footage sourced from CNN. The former senator was also among the strongest advocates for continued American support in the Russia-Ukraine war, frequently visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and making the case to the American people that continued support for Ukraine was in the nation's best interest.

"I have never been more optimistic than I am today that we have the formula to end this war," Graham said after a recent trip to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. "Help Ukraine be more lethal. Let those supporting Russia know there's going to be a price to be paid if you keep doing it. And try to find an off-ramp—not to humiliate Putin, but to end this war so that Ukraine will thrive and survive," The New York Times reported. 

Trump's remarks mark a notable reflection on Graham's foreign policy legacy, contrasting the senator's long-held reputation as one of Washington's most prominent war hawks with what the president described as a shift during Graham's final weeks, when he urged pursuing a negotiated settlement with Iran rather than continued military action.

The president's comments came as family, friends, and political leaders gathered Tuesday for Graham's funeral in Washington, DC, where the senator was remembered for his decades of service in the Senate and his influence on American foreign policy.