The sudden death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham at the age of 71 caused 80-year-old Donald Trump to ponder his own mortality, according to a report.
Graham, a staunch Trump ally, died on July 11 from natural causes linked to the tearing of an artery, a cardiovascular condition known as an aortic dissection.
The shock death of Graham—who showed no obvious signs of ill health and had traveled to and from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shortly before he died—prompted concern from Trump and forced him to look inwards, sources told The Washington Post.
In private conversations within his inner circle, a subdued Trump asked whether Graham’s hectic travel schedule could have taken a toll on the senator’s health. Trump also began looking into Graham’s family history to see if any genetic factors could help explain why the active 71-year-old had died so suddenly.
Trump’s shock over Graham’s death was also evident in the frequent praise he lavished on the South Carolina Republican.
“He’s a tough one to lose. He was great, he was unique in every way… I just can’t believe it,” Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press on July 12. “He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough, actually.”
Trump, who is on course to become the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, has repeatedly boasted that he still has the mental and physical stamina to meet the demands of serving as president.
However, as the Daily Beast has long reported, Trump’s second term has been plagued by a laundry list of health issues and ailments.
These include the frequent appearance of mysterious dark bruises on his hands, the president’s swollen cankles—a symptom of his chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis—as well as his habit of falling asleep in public.
Trump also regularly brags that he has “aced” three cognitive tests that screen for early signs of dementia, mistakenly citing them as proof of his high intelligence. Neither Trump nor the White House has explained why the president has needed to take so many cognitive tests.
Elsewhere, the president has bizarrely pondered out loud on several occasions whether he will get into heaven when his time comes.
“I hope to make it,” Trump told a crowd in Georgia in February. “But I doubt I will, to be honest with you. A lot of you will. I’m not so sure.”
Speaking on The Daily Beast Podcast, political commentator David Rothkopf suggested Trump’s frantic attempts to put his name on buildings and erect tacky monuments in his honor are a sign that he is thinking about his post-death legacy.
“He’s hearing the footsteps of the Grim Reaper in the background,” Rothkopf said. “And he wants to memorialize himself everywhere he looks.”
“Senator Lindsey Graham was a dear friend to the president,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post. “The president looks forward to delivering a heartfelt eulogy at his funeral service on Tuesday.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for further comment.
