Republican Hardliner Graham Dies...Trump: "A True Patriot"

Trump's Political Ally... GOP Loses One Senate Seat
U.S. Senator Who Led Hardline Stance on North Korea's Nuclear Program

Lindsey Graham, a U.S. Republican Senator known as a political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and a leading foreign policy and national security hardliner within the Republican Party, has passed away suddenly due to illness. He was 71 years old.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on the 12th (local time) at his home in South Carolina, USA. Yonhap News Agency

Senator Graham's office released a statement on the 12th (local time) announcing that "Senator Graham passed away the previous evening after a brief and sudden illness." According to U.S. media, emergency authorities responded to a report of a patient with chest pain at his home in South Carolina at around 8:30 p.m. the previous day. Paramedics performed CPR at the scene and then transported him to the hospital.

Born in 1955, Senator Graham began his political career in 1994 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. After entering the Senate in 2002, he represented South Carolina for more than 20 years. He was planning to seek a fifth term as senator in the upcoming midterm elections in November.

He had been recognized as a leading "hawk" within the Republican Party. He consistently advocated for strong sanctions and military responses to contain Iran's nuclear and missile programs, and actively supported the Trump administration's military stance against Iran during Trump's second term.

He also led a hardline approach on North Korea. In 2017, as tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated due to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, he openly discussed the possibility of military options against North Korea. Referring to conversations with President Trump at the time, he stirred controversy by suggesting that "if a conflict were to occur, the war would take place on the Korean Peninsula."

That same year, following North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test launch, he raised the need for the evacuation of U.S. military families from South Korea. Ahead of the 2018 North Korea-U.S. summit, he warned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could face the end of his regime if he failed to keep his denuclearization promises.

Senator Graham was also proactive in supporting Ukraine. Since Russia's invasion in 2022, he visited Kyiv ten times, and even shortly before his death, he traveled to Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. While there, he stated that a bipartisan consensus was forming within the White House and Congress regarding additional sanctions against Russia.

Senator Graham competed with President Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary but later became a close political ally. President Trump wrote on Truth Social, "He was one of the finest people and senators I have ever known," adding, "He always worked hard and was a true American patriot."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated, "Israel has lost a great friend, and the United States has lost a great patriot."

With Senator Graham's passing, the Republican Party's Senate seats have decreased from 53 to 52. However, under South Carolina law, Governor Henry McMaster can appoint a successor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.