Trump reveals final phone call with Lindsey Graham hours before senator died

Donald Trump has paid tribute to key ally Lindsey Graham who died this weekend at the age of 71.

The president also detailed the final phone call he had with the senator, which happened just hours before Graham passed away.

Graham, who had served in the Senate representing South Carolina since 2003, died from a sudden illness, his office confirmed on Sunday (July 12).

"On the evening of Saturday 11 July, US senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," they said in a statement.

"Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period."

Trump has been speaking on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, where he revealed that he spoke to Graham on Saturday night (July 11)

The president said that 'other than being tired, he was fine', stating he believed the senator's death was a 'quick end, and maybe that’s not the worst way to go'.

Lindsey Graham died aged 71 on Saturday (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine before his sudden death, with Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, penning on social media: "I’m grateful to Lindsey for recognizing our warriors."

After returning to the US, the senator rang up Trump to discuss the SAVE America Act, a proposed bill that would change the way elections work.

“He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon,’” Trump added to NBC.

Trump also spoke about his close ally in a separate interview with CNN, where he described him as a 'great politician'.

The POTUS said: "If I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn’t often ask. But if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out.

"He was a great, he was a great politician, actually."

Graham was a long-time ally of the president (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Despite that, Graham could also be a 'tough cookie', according to Trump.

"If he wanted to get something, if he thought he was right, and he had people against him, he could be very tough, actually," the president quipped, before adding: "But he was a good person."

The Washington Post reported that emergency services responded to a call at 8:30pm on Saturday of a person complaining of chest pains.

Paramedics arrived at Graham's Capitol Hill home and had to perform CPR as a man was in cardiac arrest.