President Trump expressed his condolences on Sunday after learning of the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally and friend.
The President spoke with CNN's State of the Union, hours after news broke that Graham had passed away from a heart attack on Saturday evening, just days after his 71st birthday.
According to the President, he had spoken with Graham "moments before" his death, and described him as a "great politician" and a "tough cookie" who was "pushing very, very hard" for the SAVE America Act.
The President recalled their past squabbles during the 2016 Presidential election, but noted that they had become friendly and that Graham was a "fantastic advocate" in the Senate.
When asked about their disagreement on Ukraine, Trump acknowledged that he and Graham had differing views, with the President wanting to end the war quickly and Graham pushing for continued intervention.
The President described Graham as a "strong believer in interventionism" and a "staunch defender of Israel," but also noted that they had agreed on many issues, including their support for Israel.
Graham had just returned to the US from Ukraine, where he toured a drone production facility with Ukrainian officials, and had briefed Trump on his visit and an ongoing Congressional push to impose sanctions on Russia.
The President remembered Graham's words from their previous conversation, in which he said he couldn't die yet because he still had work to do on Russia sanctions, Iran, and Israeli-Saudi normalization.
Trump's conversation with Graham was just hours before his death, and the President recalled that Graham had called him to discuss the SAVE America Act and other issues.
