Reaction POURS in from Trump, world leaders after Graham's death

[0:00] We're bringing in Alex Hogan. She joins us live from the White House with reaction from Washington, D.C. and around the world. Alex. [0:07] Hi, good morning. So we are hearing quick reaction from President Trump who addressed the sudden and shocking death of one of his closest allies. [0:16] So President Trump writing this earlier this morning on Truth Social, quote, Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and senators I've ever known is dead. [0:24] He was always working and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed. Details and arrangements to follow. So sad. [0:33] The senator's office shared the news of his death early this morning, citing a brief and sudden illness. [0:39] Tributes domestically quickly pouring in. [0:42] Senator Thune writing Lindsey's long and dedicated service in the Air Force and Congress carried him to far flung regions of the world and also writing his influence on the federal judiciary or national defense. [0:51] And his beloved South Carolina will be felt for generations. [0:56] Graham especially advised Trump on foreign policy matters such as Iran and Russia. [1:01] And he had just returned from Ukraine and on Friday announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions. [1:08] The South Carolina Republican was a fierce advocate for Ukraine. [1:12] He traveled there repeatedly since the start of Russia's invasion. [1:15] And this is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to say. [1:19] He reacted writing, quote, Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer. [1:25] We heard, as you mentioned in that interview from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling him a patriot. [1:31] And Graham was seeking a fifth, a sixth year as a Senate term in November before his service in public office. [1:39] Graham served six and a half years in the U.S. Air Force as a military lawyer and serving in Germany for that. [1:45] He later served in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. [1:49] He was an active member of his church. [1:51] He never married or had children. [1:53] But after both of his parents died when he was in college, he took care of his younger sister becoming her legal guardian. [2:00] His family in this incredibly difficult time are asking for their privacy and thanking everyone for these tributes and prayers. [2:08] Guys, back to you. [2:10] Alex, so obviously figuring out Lindsey Graham's replacement is entirely in the hands of South Carolina and the governor there. [2:19] But are you hearing anything out of the White House about any interest that the president might have one way or the other in who Lindsey Graham's replacement might be? [2:31] Well, no public comment on that just yet. [2:33] We do expect to hear from the president later today, inevitably more, whether it's on Truth Social, other statements. [2:40] But Lindsey Graham, again, this was a shocking development this morning. [2:44] He was actually supposed to speak on Meet the Press later this morning. [2:48] So we do expect, according to that network, that not only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, [2:53] but President Trump will speak in his place as well. [2:55] So we could hear some more developments there. [2:57] But at least as it stands right now, more tributes and condolences for the family [3:02] and remembering Lindsey Graham, who is 71 years old. [3:06] And, Alex, you know, the president has talked so much about his Save America Act legislation. [3:14] And Senator Graham was a co-sponsor of that. [3:16] And one of the White House's perhaps strongest allies in the Senate on that, [3:23] the president obviously just refused to sign the housing bill because of his protests over [3:30] how the Save America Act was being handled. [3:33] Graham was working very hard to get that across the finish line for the White House. [3:40] This may be a setback for the White House's effort to lose someone like Senator Graham. [3:45] Absolutely. It's a great point. [3:47] This has been seen as an uphill battle. [3:50] The housing bill, as you mentioned, that did get signed into law officially yesterday, [3:55] even though the president refused to sign it because he said that was in protest, [3:58] him not signing it because he wanted to put more pressure on the Senate to pass the Save America Act. [4:03] But that being said, there's a lot of questions over what this will mean, [4:07] losing someone who was a supporter of the Save America Act. [4:10] It does not help the president's push to make that happen. [4:14] There will inevitably be a lot of conversations as to how this all moves forward, [4:19] how this shakes up as a result. [4:22] And it will be interesting to see in the, you know, hours that follow, [4:25] do politicians point to the next moves? [4:29] Do they take a beat and just remember someone today on the day as people are learning about their death? [4:34] It's always interesting to see after someone dies, especially in a public office, [4:38] how quickly the conversation changes from remembering them to how do we navigate where we go from here? [4:45] Yeah. [4:46] Well, Alex Hogan, thank you for being at the White House. [4:48] Please come back to us if you have any more information coming from the White House [4:52] on the condolences, but also on the issues that we're talking about right now. [4:57] As you said, those conversations happen quite quickly. [5:00] Alex Hogan at the White House. [5:02] Thanks, Alex.