Trump says Graham’s death is ‘big blow to the SAVE America Act’

Administration Trump says Graham’s death is ‘big blow to the SAVE America Act’ Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 07/12/26 10:32 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 07/12/26 10:32 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump on Sunday said Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) sudden death is a “big blow to” the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, the president’s legislative priority.

Trump called in to NBC News’s “Meet the Press” and told host Kristen Welker that Graham thought the White House was going to have the SAVE America Act passed in the Senate.

“This is a big blow to the SAVE America Act, let me tell you,” Trump told Welker.

Trump said he spoke with Graham earlier Saturday night, saying the late senator had just landed from Ukraine and said “we’re all set for the SAVE America Act.”

“He sounded a little tired but perfect, but a little bit tired, and had a right to be,” the president continued. “He was a worker, he was really a worker. But he sounded great, actually, but he actually said he was tired. But he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘We’re going to get it done, Lindsey, we’re going to get it done, I’ll see you, like soon. We might even meet today.'”

Trump said it could have been Graham’s call, adding that he could not “believe it” when a member of Graham’s office called the president early Sunday morning to notify him of the senator’s death.

Asked by Welker what his last words were to Graham, the president said he would “see you soon.”

“‘Come over anytime you want,'” he continued. “He came into the White House a lot because I liked him. Can’t do that with everybody.”

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on “Meet the Press” to talk about Graham, who was scheduled to make his 64th appearance on the show Sunday morning, Welker said on social media.

Netanyahu said Graham’s death left him in a “state of shock,” telling Welker that Israel lost “one of the great champions of the American-Israeli alliance.”

“He was very honest about his views,” Netanyahu said. “And the amazing thing about Lindsey Graham is he put it directly. You know, he said, you know, ‘I stand with Israel openly. I know that the whims of fashion blow in another way. I couldn’t care less.’ Sometimes he’d incorporate some words that I won’t repeat now. But he was just so clear, so courageous, both for his own personal safety, but also for what he believed was absolutely necessary for America. And he believed that Israel’s security and America’s security are intertwined.”

Tributes from Republicans poured in, including from Graham’s colleague Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who said Graham “was never kind and gentle about the priorities he had.”

“He was loud and obvious, and sometimes even obnoxious, because he understood that he had the power of a microphone to make a difference, not for himself but for others,” Scott said on “Fox News Sunday.”