Latest / The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson / Friend, Leader, Patriot Who Never Stopped Fighting—a Final Farewell to Sen. Graham

Transcript

Friend, Leader, Patriot Who Never Stopped Fighting—a Final Farewell to Sen. Graham · The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: In the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: of the United States Senate, a true American original who
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: left us much too soon, and.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: That can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham.
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: You're listening to the forty seven Morning Update with Ben ferguson.
• 0:31
  Speaker 4: Good Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us on
• 0:33
  Speaker 4: the forty seven Morning Update, and we've got one big
• 0:35
  Speaker 4: story for you, the passing of Lindsay Graham, President of
• 0:39
  Speaker 4: the United States of America. Talking about his life, his legacy,
• 0:43
  Speaker 4: his friendship, and exactly what he meant to this country,
• 0:47
  Speaker 4: as well as so many others and attendants, including the
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: Prime Minister of Israel, Net and Yahoo. We break it
• 0:53
  Speaker 4: all down for you. It's the forty seven Morning Update
• 0:55
  Speaker 4: and it starts right now.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: Story number one.
• 0:58
  Speaker 4: Yesterday, the nation to say goodbye to one of the
• 1:01
  Speaker 4: most consequential centers of his generation at the Washington National Cathedral.
• 1:06
  Speaker 4: Family friends, world leaders, and political figures gathered to honor
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: Senator Lindsey Graham, a man whose careers spanned more than
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: three decades, whose influence reached far beyond Capitol Hill and
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: whose friendships crossed political and international lines. It was a
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: funeral that reflected not just the life of a center,
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: but the legacy of someone who shaped American foreign policy
• 1:32
  Speaker 4: for decades now. President Donald Trump delivered the first major tribute,
• 1:37
  Speaker 4: speaking not simply as a president, but as someone who
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: had become one of Lindsey Gram's closest friends. It was
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: a remarkable relationship when you consider where it began. The
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: two famously clashed during the twenty sixteen Republican presidential primary,
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: but over the years that rivalry well, it evolved into
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: a deep friendship built on mutual respect, countless rounds of golf,
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: and shared political battles and fights. President Trump described Lindsay
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: Graham as a force of nature, and he started off
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: as eulogy by saying, this gather.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: In the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of the United States Senate, and a true American original
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: who left us much too soon.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: And that can.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Only be the one and only Lindsey Graham. By the
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: strength of his steadfast convictions, the force of his magnetic
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: personality and the goodness of his noble soul. Lindsay rose
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: from a small town in rural South Carolina, place he
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: loved so much to become a constant of American politics
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: at the highest level, and it forced to be reckoned
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: with all over the world.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: Now, the President didn't just talk about who he was
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: at the beginning. He also talked about how Lindsey Graham
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: was someone who never did anything halfway. He reflected on
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: Graham's not only sense of humor, but also his toughness
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: and his extraordinary ability to build relationships with leaders around
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: the world the present, describing his more than thirty years
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: of service this way than thirty years.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsay Graham
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: world without Lindsay Graham having a view on it, And
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: human history without Lindsay Graham having a say in it.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: He was a man who gave America the full measure
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: of his.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: But even though Lindsay's life was cut short well, he
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: was still so full of vim and vigor. There can
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: He died doing the work he was born to do.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: He was truly a great politician serving the country he
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: loved to serve so deeply. He went out of the
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: peak of his career, the top of his game, as
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: a legend that everyone of us, many of us here
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: today blessed to know him, and a friend that none
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: of us will ever forget.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: There was truly nobody like Lindsey Graham.
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: The President also reflected on Lindsay Graham's genuine sense of humor.
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: Some of the funniest times he's had in Washington were
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: Lindsey Graham and on the golf course. But he also
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: said you never underestimate his team, toughness, and his extraordinary
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: ability to build relationships with the leaders around the world.
• 5:05
  Speaker 4: The present makes those heartfelt memories with moments of laughter,
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: recalling stories from their friendship that brought smiles throughout the cathedral,
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: and it was a reminder that behind the public persona
• 5:17
  Speaker 4: was someone whose friendship meant everything. To President Trump.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Was his hometown of Central South Carolina that Lindsay first
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: learned the art of politics. His parents ran a bar
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: and pool hall on Main Street with a room in
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: the back where the family spent and slept and.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Did everything that you had to do.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: As Lindsay said, his father taught him, the key to
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: being a successful bar owner is that you have to
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: be funny enough that.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: People will keep coming back, and that you have to.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Be tough enough that you can stay in business and thrive,
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: a very difficult combination.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: Entire story career. That's exactly who Lindsey Graham was.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: He was the first person to make you laugh and
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: one of the last people that you've really ever wanted
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: to fight.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: These were the traits that.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Made him into one of the great figures in Senate history.
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: And perhaps the most powerful message from President Trump was this.
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: Lindsey Graham never stopped fighting for what he believed was
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: in America's best interest. Whether people agreed with him or not,
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: Graham never hid what his convictions actually were. He believed
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: America's strength mattered, he believed America's leadership mattered, and he
• 6:39
  Speaker 4: believed that if America stepped back from the world, dangerous
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: actors would step forward. And those convictions defined much of
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: his public life. Now Following President Trump's remarks came one
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: of the most emotional tributes of the day that came
• 6:54
  Speaker 4: from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netan Yahoo for net
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: and Yahoo. This was far more than saying goodbye to
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: an American senator. It was saying goodbye to one of
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: Israel's closest friends in Washington. Natyahuo spoke about Graham's unwavering
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: support for Israel through some of the country's most difficult moments.
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: He described Graham as someone who never hesitated to stand
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: beside the Jewish state during times of war, terrorism, or
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: even international criticism. The Prime Minister noted that Graham's commitment
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: wasn't based on politics alone, it was deeply personal. He
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: believed in the alliance between the United States and Israel
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: and defended it throughout his career. That sentiment, by the way,
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: was echoed throughout the service, Jewish community leaders describing Graham
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: as someone they could always call, someone who consistently showed
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: up when Israel or Jewish communities faced challenges. For many
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: in attendance as advocacy had earned him the reputation as
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: being one of Israel's strongest allies ever to serve in
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: the United States Senate. Another notable person at the funeral
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: was also the Ukrainian President Zelenski. His attendants underscored another
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: defining aspect of Graham's career, his strong support for Ukraine
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: following Russia's invasion. Graham traveled repeatedly to Ukraine and met
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: personally with Ukrainian leaders, and became one of the Senate's
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: most outspoken voices calling for continued American support even when
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: it wasn't popular. His presence in Kiev just days before
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: his death became one of the lasting images of his
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: final days in public service. The Vice President, Jenni Vans
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: also paid tribute, highlighting Graham's unique ability to persuade people,
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: his quick wit, his genuine affection for serving the country,
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: and The Senate Majority leader John Thune reflected on Graham's
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: decades in public office, describing a Senator whose energy never
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: seemed to fade and whose influence extended well beyond committee
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: rooms and Senate debates. Colleagues remembered someone who loved politics,
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: loved public service, and never lost his enthusiasm for either.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: You look around that cathedral, it was impossible not to
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: notice the extraordinary gathering Republican leaders, members of Congress, cabinet officials,
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: foreign heads of government, diplomats, military leaders, and longtime friends
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: filled the pews. It was a reminder that Lindsey Graham's
• 9:20
  Speaker 4: relationships strapped across continents. Whether meeting presidents or Prime ministers
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: or fellow senators, he built connections that endured for more
• 9:29
  Speaker 4: than three decades. And for all the speeches, perhaps the
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: strongest message of the day was about service. Lindsey Graham
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: devoted most of his adult life to public service, from
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: the Air Force Reserves to the House of Representatives and
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: eventually to the United States Senate. His career spanned multiple presidents,
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: multiple wars, economic crisises, and historic moments, and American politics.
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: He also remained a central figure through it all because
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: he was willing to engage on the biggest issues facing
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: the country. And it was clear that his funeral was
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: not about re litigating every policy debate or every disagreement,
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: and said it was about recognizing a life dedicated to
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: public service and honoring a man whose impact extended far
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: beyond South Carolina. Whether remember it as a senator or
• 10:17
  Speaker 4: a friend, or a mentor or a champion of America's
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: alliances abroad. Graham left behind a legacy it will continue
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: to influence American politics and foreign policy for years to come.
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: and we will see you back here tomorrow