Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died unexpectedly at the age of 71, his office announced early Sunday. The senator passed away after a brief illness, according to the announcement. A 911 call reporting cardiac arrest was made from Graham's residence Saturday evening, although an official cause of death has not been confirmed.
In the hours following the announcement of his death, several liberal commentators took to social media to express their reactions. Ana Kasparian, co-host and executive producer of The Young Turks, posted on X approximately 30 minutes after the announcement, stating, "Good riddance." Kyle Kulinski, host of Secular Talk, tweeted, "Miserable closet case warmonger," a remark that appeared to allude to past speculation about Graham's personal life.
Hasan Piker, a socialist political commentator and streamer, wrote on X that Graham was a "bloodthirsty odious monster who loved war." Piker also referenced Graham's stance on Iran, stating, "Ironic that he achieved his best friend john mccains dream of bombing iran, only to experience the spectacular failure it turned into in his final days! he watched a century of force projection capabilities collapse." He also responded with "lmao" to a tweet mourning Graham's death from Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Brian Krassenstein, a political commentator critical of former President Donald Trump, posted, "Lindsey Graham just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!" He added that Graham "was a war monger and diehard Trump Supporter until the very end of his 71 year life."
Jackson Hinkle, international secretary for the American Communist Party, posted on X, "Lindsey Graham advocated for dropping nuclear bombs on Gaza RIP BOZO." Steve Schmidt, co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, described Graham as "a simple, tragic man" who "lacked a moral core."
Mike Drucker, an Emmy-nominated writer and producer, tweeted, "RIP Lindsey Graham. You taught me it was okay to be a coward whose only skill is debasing myself until death for a tiny, ultimately illusionary crumb of power."
Graham represented South Carolina in the Senate from 2002. He was known for his staunch support of Israel and Ukraine, and his hawkish stance on Iran, positions that drew criticism. He was also a close ally of former President Donald Trump, consistently voting to advance Trump's agenda.
Graham's death occurred days after he visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. There were no known health concerns prior to his trip.