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In an emotional farewell Tuesday, President Donald Trump paid tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recounting how their relationship evolved from fierce political foes into close allies and friends.
Trump said the turning point came after he publicly revealed Graham’s cellphone number during a campaign rally in Bluffton, S.C., in 2015 — a decision he acknowledged Tuesday was a mistake.
“As you remember, Lindsey and I did not exactly get off to the best of starts,” Trump said during his eulogy address at the Washington National Cathedral, adding that Graham had said something “nasty” when they were both running for the 2016 presidential nomination.
“So naturally, I did something that I shouldn’t have done,” the president continued. “I shared his personal cellphone number with the millions of people that happened to be watching that particular day as I made a speech, a very important speech.”
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“And I remember the number (202) 228-0292 if anybody wants to give it a shot,” Trump went on, sparking laughter in the room.
“His phone exploded. He said, ‘I had that number for 20 years.’ His phone totally — I don’t know what he did with it. But it exploded,” Trump said. “That was the beginning of a friendship, in a way.”
“But it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone all for one day, we became great friends and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” Trump continued.
The unlikely friendship grew to include frequent rounds of golf and late-night phone calls as Graham became a leading advocate for Trump’s legislative agenda.
Since Graham’s death earlier this month, Trump has repeatedly spoken about the senator’s constant presence in his life.
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And before the service began, before the cameras began rolling, before the speeches, and before Graham’s casket arrived, the Washington National Cathedral became a gathering place for those who the late lawmaker knew, worked alongside, advocated for, and, at times, fought.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, two of Graham’s closest allies on the world stage, both attended — holding court separately among the sea of lawmakers and Cabinet members filing into the cathedral.
Much of the Senate attended, too, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who wore a suit. A rare sight not seen even at Trump’s second inauguration.
Meanwhile, Trump’s affection for Graham was visible throughout his remarks.
He called him a “beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate, and a true American original who left us much too soon.”
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“For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this Capitol without Lindsey Graham knowing about it,” Trump reflected. “Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it. And no bill became law… without Lindsey Graham having a say in it. He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart.”
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