U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday night at age 71 after a short, unexpected illness, his office announced. A close ally of President Donald Trump, the Republican served in Congress for three decades and chaired the Senate budget committee during Trump’s second term. Trump responded to Graham’s death by describing him as very close and the loss as difficult, according to a remark the president made to NBC’s *Meet The Press*. Graham had returned from a trip to Ukraine and called Trump on Saturday night sounding tired but fine. His death removes a key figure in foreign policy and a frequent Trump advisor, and under state law, South Carolina’s governor will appoint a temporary replacement.