Trump's 'closest ally' Lindsey Graham dies, leaving the Republican Party without a security hawk

[Financial News] Lindsey Graham, a U.S. senator from South Carolina and a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump as well as one of the Republican Party's leading foreign policy and security hawks, has died at the age of 71.
Graham's office said in a statement on the 12th that he died on the evening of the 11th after a brief and sudden illness.
Born in 1955, Graham entered politics in 1994 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and was elected to the Senate in 2002. He went on to serve for more than 20 years as a senior Republican representing South Carolina, and he had planned to seek a fifth six-year Senate term in the November midterm elections.
He was regarded as one of the Republican Party's most prominent foreign policy and security hawks. He strongly criticized Iran's nuclear and missile programs, repeatedly called for sanctions and military action, and publicly backed the Trump administration's military operations against Iran.
He was also one of the most active politicians in support of Ukraine. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, he visited Kyiv 10 times, and shortly before his death he traveled there again to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discuss sanctions against Russia.
He also maintained a hard-line stance on the Korean Peninsula. During North Korea's nuclear crisis in 2017, he publicly raised the possibility of military options under the Trump administration and argued for the need to withdraw families of United States Forces Korea (USFK) personnel. Ahead of the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit, he warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that if he failed to keep his denuclearization pledge, he could face the "end of the regime."
He was also active in countering China. More recently, he said in response to the South Korean government's and National Assembly's handling of the Coupang customer data leak that "this issue must be resolved so we can return to our shared goal of standing up to China," underscoring the need for South Korea–U.S. cooperation.
Graham ran against Trump in the Republican presidential primary in 2016, but later became one of his closest political allies. At a campaign rally last month, Trump said, "He has been by my side for a long time and became my closest friend after the primary," adding that Graham "helped me more than anyone in the Senate."
After news of his death broke, Trump paid tribute on Truth Social, calling Graham "one of the greatest people I have ever met, among both people and senators." He added, "He always worked hard and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be deeply missed."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also mourned his death, saying, "Israel has lost a great friend, and America has lost a great patriot."
With Graham's death, the Republican Party's Senate seat count will fall from 53 to 52. Under South Carolina law, however, Governor Henry McMaster can appoint a successor.
According to U.S. media, emergency responders were dispatched at around 8:30 p.m. on the 11th after receiving a report of a person with chest pain at Graham's home. Paramedics performed CPR at the scene and transported him to a hospital, but he ultimately died.

km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter