Topline
President Donald Trump and some other top Republicans suggested South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appoint Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill his seat for the remainder of his term—as McMaster is set to make a decision on a replacement for Graham later Monday.
President Donald Trump (R) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speak to the media aboard Air Force One enroute to Washington, DC on January 04, 2026. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham’s sister taking his seat “would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told CNN he spoke with Nordone and McMaster on Sunday, and it “makes a lot of sense” for Nordone to replace her brother, telling the network, “I’ll let the governor make an announcement about that . . . I think there would be a lot of support for it.”
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., told the New York Post he has known Nordone “for years” and “would support the president’s recommendation.”
Nordone told the New York Post in response to Trump’s suggestion she replace him, “actually I’m just kind of devastated right now.”
Graham, who is nine years older than his sister, became her legal guardian after their parents died within 15 months of each other when he was in college in the 1970s.
Graham won his primary earlier this year and was widely expected to be elected to a fifth term in November—his replacement will fill the remainder of his term until the winner of the November election takes office in January.
what to watch for
McMaster, a Republican, is expected announce his replacement to fill Graham’s seat at 4 p.m. Monday.
Tangent
Trump recounted his sometimes rocky relationship with Graham in a Fox News interview Monday. Calling Graham a “great guy” and a “friend,” Trump said Graham regularly phoned him. Recalling their frequent golf games together, Trump said Graham wasn’t a “great striker of the ball . . . he wasn’t Jack Nicklaus, he was not Tiger,” but that he and others enjoyed golfing with Graham because they “just liked him.” Trump also noted that after Graham dropped out of the 2016 presidential race, he “became really good friends with him,” recounting the “one bad moment” in their relationship when Graham said publicly he’d reached a breaking point with Trump during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, though Trump said Graham called him to quickly apologize. Graham, a key liaison between Trump and the Senate, spoke to the president shortly before his death Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
Crucial Quote
“‘Stop calling me, Lindsey.’ It was amazing. He just didn’t stop. He was a worker, he was a total workaholic politician. Some people don’t call that work, some people call that a lot of talking, but everybody loved him. He was good with the other side, if I had Democrat problems, he could solve them,” Trump said Monday on Fox News.
Key Background
Graham’s office announced early Sunday he had died from a “brief and sudden illness,” then shared a preliminary report later in the day that said he died from “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Trump told “Meet the Press” on Sunday—which Graham was scheduled to appear on for his 64th interview on the program—that he spoke to Graham around 7 p.m. Saturday, and he sounded “great” but “said he was tired” from his overseas trip. Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS responded to a report of someone experiencing chest pains at an address for Graham shortly before 8:30 p.m. that night, according to The Wall Street Journal. The calls refer to a 73-year-old patient. Graham was 71.
further reading
Lindsey Graham Died From Cardiovascular Disease, Preliminary Report Says (Forbes)