Trump spoke to Lindsey Graham shortly before death, says he didn't seem ill
The article reports Graham’s death and Trump’s account of speaking with him shortly beforehand.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The reporting is credited to USA TODAY, an established national news organization, and the page identifies both the reporter and the original outlet. Yahoo News reproduces the article rather than doing the reporting itself.
- Source type — The reporting is attributed to an established national news outlet.
- Author attribution — A named USA TODAY reporter is credited.
- Transparency — The page identifies USA TODAY as the article’s original publisher.
The article attributes Trump’s account to a television interview and includes statements from Graham’s office and the medical examiner’s preliminary findings. Its account relies heavily on Trump for the central conversation and provides limited independent context.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes Trump’s account alongside information from Graham’s office and the medical examiner. The central account of the call, however, comes primarily from Trump, with little additional corroboration or perspective.
- Source diversity — Trump, Graham’s communications director and the medical examiner are represented, though Trump dominates the account.
- Loaded language — Most praise and characterization are attributed to Trump rather than stated as the article’s own judgment.
- Counterarguments presented — The story reports an official cause of death but does not present competing accounts.
The article reports Trump’s recollections and the official account of Graham’s cause of death in straightforward language, without a discernible partisan framing.
- Language tone — The narration is largely neutral and attributes evaluative descriptions to Trump.
- Source selection — The article uses Trump’s account and statements from Graham’s office and the medical examiner.
- Framing — The focus is Trump’s account of the call and the reported cause of death.
Republished with credit
Republished from USA Today, with credit to the original publisher.
13 stories · 79–84 · updated Oct 5, 2026
This is USA Today's own score, and this article is credited to USA Today. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
President Donald Trump said he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham hours before Graham’s death and recalled that Graham sounded tired but otherwise fine. Trump also said Graham discussed the SAVE America Act and disclosed that he has a preferred interim replacement in mind.
Trump said he spoke by phone with Graham around 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, after Graham returned from Ukraine. Trump recalled Graham saying he felt good but was tired, and said Graham sounded fine during the call. Graham’s Senate office announced his death overnight.
Graham’s communications director said a preliminary examination found he died from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Trump also said Graham had told him they were “all set” on the SAVE America Act, and said he had someone in mind to replace Graham temporarily but would not name that person.
Community verdict
VOTING CLOSED
No good or bad look here
This story reports what happened without casting Graham in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Graham’s record.
People in this story
SWIPE →South Carolina senator whose death and final phone call with Trump are the article’s subject
President who recounted a call with Graham and discussed a preferred interim successor
Trump's version of this story ↗Part of a bigger story
62 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Senator Lindsey Graham died at age 71 after a sudden illness, shortly after returning from a visit to Ukraine and speaking with Donald Trump. Left-leaning outlets, such as HuffPost, emphasize how his passing disrupts the Republican legislative agenda and scrutinize his political record. Center outlets focus on the medical circumstances of his death, bipartisan tributes, and South Carolina's succession process. Right-leaning outlets, such as Fox News, highlight Trump's recollection of their final call and Graham's defense of conservative priorities.
- ARTICLES
- 74
- OUTLETS
- 62
- AVG CRED
- 68
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