Washington — Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina paid tribute Sunday to Sen. Lindsey Graham, calling him a “powerful leader” following his sudden death and highlighting Graham’s long-standing ability to “build bridges,” including with President Trump.
“I don’t know anyone who can fill the shoes of Lindsey Graham,” Scott said during an appearance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Graham, 71, initially viewed Trump with skepticism at the start of the president’s political rise, but later became one of his closest allies and a key conduit between the White House and Senate Republicans. Scott pointed to “the important role that he played in building bridges in life, just as a part of who he was,” adding that Republicans will face “an important conversation to come” as they consider who can help fill the gap Graham leaves behind.
“Lindsey Graham being on the phone with the president every single day was helpful, without any question,” Scott said. “The truth of the matter is, it was the bond that he forged on the golf course that made him such a powerful advocate for the president and a powerful advocate for us with the president, and so we’ll need that.”
Scott continued, “More importantly, what we’ll need is a champion who steps up to the plate not for politics but for serving our country. That is who Lindsey was.”
Having served with Graham in the Senate since 2013, Scott said he intends to rename the South Carolina Prayer Breakfast in Graham’s honor. He also said he and Senate Republican leaders will “find the appropriate way to honor him all week and frankly the rest of this term.”
“America certainly has lost a statesman, and I have lost a friend,” Scott said.
Scott also reflected on Graham’s early life, noting the “harsh beginning” he endured after losing both parents as a young man — an experience Scott said “would frame his world view.”
“He wanted to make sure if you needed help and he could help, he was there,” Graham said. “He wanted to make sure that those who would sometimes feel invisible, that they were seen, and he did an incredible job in South Carolina providing the kind of public service that you would want to see from your elected official.”
Graham’s longtime counterpart in the Senate cited his friendships on both sides of the aisle and his history of bipartisanship, along with his “foreign policy portfolio that’s undeniable.”
“You’re seeing world leaders come out across the world for Lindsey Graham. And why? Because he put others first,” Scott said. “We’re now watching the world respond to the impact that Lindsey Graham had, not just here at home in South Carolina, but around the world.”
Scott said Graham “loved America passionately, he served us brilliantly, and he will be missed undeniably.”
