Donald Trump Weighs in on Lindsey Graham's Cause of Death: 'His Body Literally Blew Up'

During a Newsmax interview, President Donald Trump addressed the sudden passing of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham by stating that “a certain part of his body literally blew up,” referring to the medical diagnosis of a ruptured aorta.

The District of Columbia Medical Examiner's preliminary report confirmed Graham, who was 71, died on Saturday, July 11, from an aortic dissection (a tear or rupture in the main artery) brought on by chronic heart disease and hardened arteries.

Trump connected the condition to Graham's family history, noting Graham's father also died at a similar age from heart-related complications.

Trump shared that he was aware of Graham's cardiovascular issues, mentioning he previously told the senator to get a "70 percent blockage" in his arteries checked out.

Trump's vivid phrasing was used to push back against online conspiracy theories suggesting foul play.

Because Graham had just returned from a high-profile diplomatic trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, rumors circulated implicating foreign governments.

“Look, the Russians, they have a habit of poisoning people they don’t like,” host Greg Kelly told Trump. “And Lindsey Graham once called for Putin to be taken out. Do you have any suspicions or worries? Do you think we know the whole story about his death?”

Trump dismissed these claims, stating that "great doctors" reviewed the case and verified it was a natural medical emergency.

“Well, I think we do. We’ve had great doctors. And they talked about, you know, a certain part of his body literally blew up. And that’s a condition I believe his father had also," the president explained. "His father died very, very young from heart complications. And that’s what Lindsey had."

"And it’s something that’s, number one, it’s very tough to see. And even if you see it, it’s hard to fix, very hard to fix. And, you know, he had a problem with arteries, and I thought it was like a 70 percent blockage. I said, 'Lindsey, you’re gonna have to go and take care of that.' But this was not that problem. This was a different problem that wasn’t really related,” Trump said.

Before his sudden death, Graham spoke with Trump, who detailed the conversation.

“But he just got back, and I said, ‘How are you doing?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m doing good, but I’m tired.’ And within, you know, a short period of time after that call, he was gone. Amazing actually," the POTUS recalled. "But he was, I don’t think, you know, just to answer the conspiracy theory, I don’t know. I’d love to say yes, but I think he had some problems."

Following the senator's passing, the POTUS publicly posted on Truth Social recommending Darlene Graham Nordone, Graham’s sister, to replace the late senator, calling it a "fabulous tribute.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster noted he had already spoken with Nordone about the position before Trump's public post, and that the president fully supported the decision, which was made official on Monday, July 13.