Lindsey Graham, Republican senator who has died aged 71, was a political survivor. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
His 23-year Senate career was marked by a willingness to adapt to the gale-force political winds that accompanied Donald Trump's rise. Key issues for Graham included hawkish foreign policy focused on containing Russian ambitions, support for Israel, and regime change in Iran.
After being elected from South Carolina in 2002, Graham became a close ally of Senator John McCain. Running for president in 2015, he advocated cooling partisan tensions.
Initially, Graham sharply criticized Trump. When Trump mocked McCain for being a POW, Graham called him a "jackass." Trump read Graham's phone number at a rally, prompting angry calls. Graham responded by destroying a collection of phones in a stunt video.
In May 2016, Graham called Trump a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" and predicted his nomination would destroy the party. However, after Trump's victory, Graham changed course. He golfed with Trump and defended his policies. When Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Graham condemned sexual assault allegations against him.
After the 2020 election, Graham broke with Trump. Following the January 6 Capitol attack, he said, "Count me out. Enough is enough." But by 2024, he again supported Trump. Graham publicly called for more US support for Ukraine but tempered criticism of Trump's overtures to Putin.
Graham's sudden death will complicate Republican legislative strategy, including passing new spending legislation and confirming Trump's attorney general pick, Todd Blanche.