Credit: The White House

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he already has a preferred candidate in mind to succeed the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), but declined to reveal the name, saying it was too soon following the senator’s death.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Senator Graham, 71, passed away Saturday night, July 11, 2026, following a cardiac arrest.

Statement from the Office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). pic.twitter.com/CQ5yVvqTH1

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 12, 2026

Audio of the 911 dispatch call reveals Lindsey Graham had chest pains before going into cardiac arrest.

Radio traffic from response to Sen. Graham’s home: Emergency radio traffic indicates that Senator Lindsey Graham suffered chest pains before going into cardiac arrest Saturday night. Efforts to revive the South Carolina lawmaker were not successful. Graham died two days after his… pic.twitter.com/xj9baJZr33

— Dave Statter (@STATter911) July 12, 2026

According to Senator Lindsey Graham’s office, preliminary findings from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner indicate that Graham died from an aortic dissection, a condition in which a tear develops in the inner layer of the body’s main artery, the aorta.

The office said the dissection was caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition in which plaque buildup narrows and hardens the arteries, restricting blood flow.

FROM LINDSEY GRAHAM’S OFFICE:

“The preliminary examination findings were:

Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.

“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death…

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 12, 2026

Lindsey Graham recently returned from a trip to Kiev, Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Speaking during an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Trump said that he has a preferred candidate in mind to succeed the late Graham but declined to reveal the person’s identity, saying it was too soon after Graham’s death to discuss potential replacements.

“I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it’s just, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey,” Trump said. “I don’t want to even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good.”

Under South Carolina law, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint an interim replacement to serve until a special election is held to fill the remainder of Graham’s term.

Jim Hᴏft Jim Hᴏft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016.

You can email Jim Hᴏft here, and read more of Jim Hᴏft's articles here.

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