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Lindsey Graham’s Contested Legacy: Hero or Traitor?

Lindsey Graham’s Contested Legacy: Hero or Traitor?

Last updated on: July 31, 2026 at 10:36 pm by Ginny Baxter

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Lindsey Graham’s Contested Legacy: Hero or Traitor? 2026-07-31T22:36:27-04:00 Ginny Baxter

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11, has a complicated and controversial legacy that leaves supporters and opponents divided along party lines. In the photo shown above, Graham speaks at the Iowa GOP’s Growth and Opportunity Party in January 2026. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

Honoring Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been called everything from “a great Christian man” to “a traitor” and much more since his death on July 11. His public image was always that of a devout Christian and dedicated naval officer. Many people on the right admired him, while those on the left tended to reject his right-wing politics and religious beliefs.

Graham was remembered at services on July 28 and 29. The first, which was at the U.S. Capitol, honored the late senator for his 30+ years of service in Congress, according to multiple media sources.

Mourners then gathered at the Washington National Cathedral for an invitation-only service. Dignitaries, friends and colleagues praised the senator “as a patriot and a supporter of Christian conservatives” and “one of the great figures in Senate history.”

Donald Trump eulogized Graham as “a respected statesman, a giant of the U.S. Senate, and a true American original….” but he also mocked the late senator, per *The New Republic. “*Virtually everyone — Republican or Democrat — liked Lindsey,” Trump said before going off script. “Well, not everybody. He was a tough cookie, OK?”

Trump then joked about the time he—Trump—publicized Graham’s cell phone number during the 2016 presidential campaign. Long story short… Graham’s phone blew up, and the two men later became friends. Trump also recalled a story about Graham’s warmongering, saying that Graham “never saw a war he didn’t like.”‘

Other Remembrances

On July 29, a horse-drawn military caisson carried the senator’s casket to a service at the South Carolina State House. The caisson was a reminder of the late senator’s military service.

A funeral service, which was open to the public, was held at the First Baptist Church of Columbia. A private family burial will be held in Pickens County, where Graham was born and spent his childhood.

A Different View

Writing for the TruthDig website, progressive journalist and writer Erin Aubry Kaplan was harsh in describing Lindsey Graham’s influence on the U.S. She called Graham a traitor and said his legacy was written the day he chose to remain a strong supporter of Donald Trump and white supremacy. She said Graham’s traitorous choices “violated his oath to the Constitution (that) he claimed to revere and gravely endangered the whole country. It is still endangered. He is a traitor and deserves to be remembered as such,” Kaplan said.

Well-deserved Blame

In my view, Graham was far from the only Republican who betrayed the country’s interests. Congress protected a president I believe has governed lawlessly, draining the treasury and chipping away at democracy and religious freedom.

People who voted for a candidate with the morals of an alley cat, the self-regard of a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him, and the compassion of a brick wall are part of the problem. They saw red flags and accepted their candidate for what he was.

Cruelty, illegal behavior, and creating problems where none exist are hallmarks of Trump’s regime. They were obvious in 2016 and have become decidedly worse in 2026. Trump’s despicable mocking of a disabled reporter during the 2016 campaign was a clear demonstration of his character, his failures as a businessman, and his ridiculous and pathetic attempts to claim the spotlight — any spotlight.

During the World Cup final awards presentation, Trump remained on stage as the winning team celebrated, despite having no role as a player, coach, or team official. To many viewers, it looked like one more instance of a president inserting himself into a moment that belonged to someone else.

Assessing Blame

Kaplan blames the entire Republican Party for America’s current chaos. MAGA wanted a white racist man to win the 2024 election, and that’s exactly what they got. It’s unfortunate that the rest of us are saddled with him as well, even though we didn’t vote for him.

A Complete Failure

Some observers tried to explain Graham’s loyalty to Trump as coercion rather than choice. But as The Nation, a progressive publication, put it, that theory “was never grounded in evidence and suffered the further disadvantage of making Graham seem like a victim rather than someone making affirmative choices about his life.”

“But the truth is worse,” according to Kaplan. She says the senator was a war hawk and Air Force veteran who wanted “to keep the U.S. war machine going.” Graham was a military lawyer for six-and-a-half years and then joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He retired from the military in 2015 with the rank of colonel. In all, he served 33 years.

A Mixed Constitutional Message

On the plus side, Graham strongly supported every American’s constitutional right to religious freedom. He once said he would not tolerate “a national religion, even though I am a Christian.” He argued that a state religion “is counter to what we are as a people….

He also said, The strength of this nation is that people can worship God on their own terms.

Now let’s see Trump’s words on religious freedom/separation of church and state: Let’s forget about it. Really? Simply do away with the U.S. Constitution, which would mean getting rid of our basic rights and privileges. It’s a frightening thought — like losing the safety net that trapeze performers use in the circus.

Losing our religious freedom would be a massive loss. Rather than attend the church we wanted to attend or skip church entirely, we would be forced to attend the state church selected by Donald Trump and Paula White, Trump’s senior religious adviser. I am not kidding when I say she leads the White House Faith Office.

I’m also not kidding when I say her job is to “root out anti-Christian bias in government.” That policy might please extremists but only until they realize Paula’s faith office might one day target them.

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