Trump to Lead Tributes at Lindsey Graham Funeral Services in Washington and South Carolina
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U.S. leaders and foreign dignitaries will attend closed ceremonies for Senator Lindsey Graham at the Capitol and Washington National Cathedral before a public funeral in South Carolina.
On Tuesday, the political elite will gather for closed ceremonies honoring Sen. Lindsey Graham, a figure whose legacy is marked by unwavering support for endless wars and reactionary policies. The events, held at the U.S. Capitol and the Washington National Cathedral, will be closed to the public, reinforcing the exclusivity of power in Washington. Military service members and Capitol Police will carry Graham’s coffin, highlighting the militarism that defined his career in both the Air Force and Congress. The ceremony, inaccessible to ordinary Americans, will be streamed online—a token gesture of transparency.
At 2 p.m., the coffin will be transferred to the National Cathedral for another closed-door service. President Donald Trump, whose administration Graham loyally served, will lead the tributes. The program features right-wing media figure Sean Hannity, evangelical leader Rev. Franklin Graham, anti-choice activist Marjorie Dannenfelser, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, an organization notorious for its anti-LGBTQ stances. International attendees include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, both representing governments with controversial records on human rights.
Following the cathedral event, Graham’s body will be flown to South Carolina, where a public procession will carry his coffin from the State House to the First Baptist Church of Columbia for a noon service, further cementing the spectacle of state power and conservative values.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Graham as a “staunch conservative and a fierce advocate for South Carolina,” while Trump called him “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” Netanyahu, whose government has faced international condemnation, labeled Graham “one of the greatest friends the State of Israel has ever known,” and Zelensky described him as “a true defender of freedom”—language often used to justify military aggression and intervention.
Graham, a former Air Force lawyer, entered Congress in 1994 and the Senate in 2002. He consistently championed U.S. military interventions, unwavering support for Israel and Ukraine, and aggressive posturing toward Iran. After initially criticizing Trump’s extremism during the 2016 Republican primary, Graham became one of his closest Senate allies, chairing the Judiciary Committee (2019-2021) and, from 2025, the Budget Committee—positions from which he advanced a right-wing agenda.