Death and tragedy have a way of exposing character, and this weekend, it exposed plenty. Some public figures greeted the passing of a decorated war hero and longtime senator with grace. Others treated it as an opportunity for a punchline. If you want to know who's still capable of basic human decency in 2026, the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) delivered.
Graham, 71, died Saturday evening following what his office described as a brief and sudden illness. The announcement triggered a wave of reactions from pundits and politicians on Sunday, and, as usual, the left’s response was quite grotesque.
"Good riddance," Ana Kasparian, co-host and executive producer of The Young Turks, posted on X. Two words.
Cenk Uygur, co-creator of The Young Turks, couldn't resist mocking Graham's hawkish foreign policy record even in death, imagining him in the afterlife trying to provoke a war between Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. Funny guy.
Steve Schmidt, the former MSNOW analyst and Lincoln Project co-founder, penned a vicious Substack post accusing Graham of betraying his country for power and his own integrity for attention. “Lindsey Graham was a pathetic man, a true cynic and a faithless servant of the Constitution,” he wrote.
Hasan Piker, the left-wing streamer with a well-documented history of antisemitism, mocked a tribute to Graham's relationship with Israel by dismissing it with a single sarcastic jab. This is who runs the online left now. Grown adults performing cruelty for engagement.
ICYMI: What Happens Now After Lindsey Graham's Death?
Compare that to how the grown-ups responded. President Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social, calling Graham hardworking and a true American patriot, adding that he would be greatly missed. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, mourned Graham as one of Israel's strongest allies and praised his commitment to the country's security. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) both honored their South Carolina colleague, with Mace noting the two didn't always agree politically but that she respected his dedication to the state.
A select few Democrats in Congress were gracious. "The United States Senate lost a foreign policy giant,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said. “On a personal level, he had always been kind, gracious, and thoughtful. Gisele and I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and staff."
And for sure, there are plenty of Democrats in Congress who are responding appropriately. I don’t want to give the impression that they’re aren’t. But even the silence is bugging me. As of this writing, I've checked the social media pages of both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Nothing from Schumer. Jeffries managed a short, perfunctory statement on his congressional website, the bare minimum effort, likely done not to catch attention from the far left base. I can’t find any public comment from Schumer.
Make no mistake about it, this is a pattern, not an aberration. After the assassination attempts on Donald Trump, plenty on the left openly expressed disappointment that they'd failed. When Charlie Kirk was murdered, many on the left cheered, and plenty still do. I want to believe leftists are capable of basic decency. I really do. But every time a conservative dies, gets shot at, or gets killed, the left proves me wrong all over again.
