Trump to Lead Tributes at Lindsey Graham Funeral Services in Washington and South Carolina

Elected officials and public figures are scheduled to attend closed ceremonies for Sen. Lindsey Graham at the U.S. Capitol and Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, followed by a public funeral in South Carolina on Wednesday. The Capitol ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., with the senator’s coffin carried by military service members and a Capitol Police memorial guard, reflecting his service in the Air Force and Congress. The event will be closed to the public but streamed online.

At 2 p.m., the coffin will be moved to the National Cathedral for a second closed service. President Donald Trump is expected to lead the tributes, and the program lists remarks from Fox News host Sean Hannity, readings by Rev. Franklin Graham, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser. World leaders attending include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After the cathedral service, the body will be flown to South Carolina, where a procession will move the coffin from the State House to the First Baptist Church of Columbia for a public service at noon.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune described Graham as a “staunch conservative and a fierce advocate for South Carolina” in a Senate floor address. President Trump called the senator “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” Netanyahu referred to Graham as “one of the greatest friends the State of Israel has ever known,” while Zelensky said Graham was “a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”

Graham, a former Air Force lawyer, was first elected to the House in 1994 and to the Senate in 2002. He was known for supporting U.S. military action abroad, backing Israel and Ukraine, and advocating a strong stance toward Iran. After initially criticizing Trump during the 2016 Republican primary, Graham became a close Senate ally of the president, chairing the Judiciary Committee (2019-2021) and the Budget Committee beginning in 2025.