--- title: Lindsey Graham Shares John McCain's Last Words description: Sen. Lindsey Graham discussed his good friend and colleague Sen. John McCain's legacy in an interview on NBC's Today Show Tuesday morning. canonical: https://time.com/5380020/lindsey-graham-john-mccain/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-28T12:04:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T17:56:36.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Lindsey Graham Shares His Last Conversation With John McCain og:description: 'He was not cheated' og:url: https://time.com/5380020/lindsey-graham-john-mccain/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c2a6d2812d43e19/698938d87cdbac0e52d5dc7e/lindsey-graham-john-mccain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senators McCain, Graham, Cassidy and Johnson Discuss Health Care Reform og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lindsey Graham Shares His Last Conversation With John McCain twitter:description: 'He was not cheated' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c2a6d2812d43e19/698938d87cdbac0e52d5dc7e/lindsey-graham-john-mccain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'He Was Not Cheated.' Lindsey Graham Shares His Last Conversation With John McCain > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Updated: Dec 12, 2023 5:56 PM UTCPublished: Aug 28, 2018 12:04 PM UTC  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) (R) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hold a news conference to say they would not support a 'Skinny Repeal' of health care at the U.S. Capitol July 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) (R) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hold a news conference to say they would not support a 'Skinny Repeal' of health care at the U.S. Capitol July 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Updated: Dec 12, 2023 5:56 PM UTCPublished: Aug 28, 2018 12:04 PM UTC Following [the death](http://time.com/5179302/john-mccain-dies/) of his close friend and colleague Sen. John McCain, Sen. Lindsey Graham shared some of the late senator’s final words to him and elaborated on McCain’s legacy. “He had a romantic view of our nation to his last breath,” Graham [told NBC’s _TODAY_ Tuesday morning](https://www.today.com/video/sen-lindsey-graham-reflects-on-john-mccain-s-legacy-contentious-relationship-with-president-trump-1307941955696?v=raila). “Literally almost the last thing he said to me was ‘I love you. I have not been cheated.’ He was not cheated.” > [](https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1034399277890654208) Speaking to McCain’s legacy, Graham said the late senator showed politicians like himself and Americans “that it’s not about you.” “Country first means that even if it’s inconvenient for you and it makes you uncomfortable, you do it anyway,” Graham said. “Country first hurts, but it’s the right way to go.” Graham and McCain [were two good friends](http://time.com/3828291/lindsey-graham-john-mccain-joe-lieberman-president/) who worked alongside each other in the Senate for more than 15 years. The two Republicans disagreed with each other on certain issues — memorably the Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act last year — but emphasized that their political differences [did not come in the way of their friendship](http://time.com/4954193/lindsey-graham-john-mccain-still-friends-healthcare/). Graham explained on _TODAY_ that McCain’s desk “is right by mine,” making it difficult for him to look over after the late senator’s death. Graham will speak on the Senate floor Tuesday about McCain and his legacy. He told _TODAY_ hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin that he plans to approach the difficult speech as he would an “after action report” in the military. “This man was the conscience of the Senate. He was at times the conscience of the nation,” Graham said. “If I had to pick one person in this great land to explain to someone from a different planet who are these Americans, it would be John McCain with an assist from (his speechwriter) Mark Salter.” McCain had a tumultuous relationship with President Donald Trump, whom Graham has defended in recent months. Trump [released an official statement](http://time.com/5379630/trump-john-mccain-statement/) on the death of the late senator two days after his death, and the White House [re-lowered its flags](http://time.com/5379952/trump-mccain-white-house-flag/) to half-staff [amid pubic pressure](http://time.com/5378982/white-house-flags-john-mccain-death/) to keep them there until McCain’s burial. Graham hesitated to criticize the President when asked about the kerfuffle. “It is all over now. The flag is down,” Graham said. “When the President mentioned John, he got applause. I hope he’ll remember how people feel about John.” “Clearly they had a tenuous relationship,” Graham said, “but he’s not the only one to have a tense relationship with John McCain.” Funeral services for McCain [will begin this week](http://time.com/5378461/john-mccain-funeral-plans/). He will first lie in the Arizona State Capitol for a ceremony Wednesday (which would have been his birthday). Then he will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. Services will take place around Washington, D.C., on Saturday. **Correction August 29** The original version of this story misstated Lindsey Graham’s comments about John McCain. Graham said McCain was the “conscience” of the Senate and the nation, not the “conscious.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5380020/lindsey-graham-john-mccain/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5380020/lindsey-graham-john-mccain/"},"headline":"'He Was Not Cheated.' 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