President Donald Trump has come under fire for struggling to keep his eyes open during the funeral of one of his closest allies and golfing buddies.
The 80-year-old was photographed looking as though he was about to doze off during the funeral of Lindsey Graham on Tuesday afternoon, as Trump sat alongside Vice President JD Vance, cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, and foreign dignitaries. First Lady Melania Trump was noticeably absent.
Graham died of heart complications earlier this month, hours after he returned from a trip to Ukraine, a country he had supported for years in its fight against Russia.
In a touching memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral, Trump eulogized his longtime friend, describing him as “one of the great figures in Senate history.”
“He died doing the work he was born to do; he was truly a great politician,” the president told the audience, which included Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The president also recounted an early feud in which Graham insulted him in a television interview. Trump retaliated by reading out the Senator’s personal cell phone number at one of his rallies.
“I remember the number (202) 228-0292 if anybody wants to give it a shot,” he said, prompting the audience to roar with laughter.
Trump also regaled the audience with an amusing story about Graham meeting Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in the Middle East. The senator told him afterward: “I expected something out of the Arabian Nights. This looks more like a Winnebago.”
“That was not a good statement to make at the time,” Trump added.
“And when he met the Dalai Lama, Lindsey looked him straight in the eyes and said, ‘So, can you really levitate?’ Dalai Lama was not happy with that.”
The speech was unusually short, lasting about 14 minutes, and unlike Trump’s typical meandering rants, it stuck largely to script.
He did, however, take issue with one part.
“Virtually everyone liked Lindsey,” Trump said, before adding: “Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. I have to be honest. I have to veer from this for a second.”
But the sight of the elderly president’s droopy eyes quickly became viral, with online critics branding it as “disgraceful” or noting he should spend less time rage-posting on Truth Social at night and more time sleeping.
Others questioned why Melania Trump wasn’t there—although it is not customary for first ladies to attend the funerals of senators, nor is it common for senators to get two days’ worth of memorial services when they die. After Graham’s casket leaves Washington, he will be laid to rest on Wednesday in his home state of South Carolina.
Graham died on July 11, after emergency personnel responded to a report of cardiac arrest at his D.C. home.
The sudden death sent shockwaves across Trumpland as major MAGA figures raised questions about its apparently suspicious timing, so soon after his visit to Ukraine to publicize his drive to step up sanctions on Russian oil and gas sales.
Almost instantly, wild theories began surfacing across the internet, but a medical examiner subsequently ruled that the cause of death was an aortic dissection resulting from cardiovascular disease.
“While I blew up his phone for one day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” Trump told the crowd.
“Lindsey, we love you, god bless you, we will always be with you,” he said, as he concluded his remarks. “You were very, very special.”
