Kelly Ayotte
ON THE RECORD · 4 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“He loved life, he had so much fun, and no one could make you laugh more than Lindsey Graham.”
Kelly Ayotte · said 2026-07-28 · reported 2026-07-28
Ayotte spoke to NBC News about Graham's character and sense of humor.
“So my son, who was probably 5 or 6 years old, Lindsey had him on the phone answering the calls, and so Jake would pick up the phone and say: ‘Oh, hey, who is this? Why are you calling?’”
Kelly Ayotte · said 2026-07-28 · reported 2026-07-28
Ayotte recounted a story from the 2015 presidential campaign when Graham's personal phone number was read aloud by Trump at a televised event.
“It’s such a loss in terms of his voice on foreign policy and America’s role in the world,”
Kelly Ayotte · said 2026-07-28 · reported 2026-07-28
Ayotte, who traveled regularly with Graham on Senate trips around the world, spoke to NBC News at the ceremony.
“So we had a lot of laughs over that.”
Kelly Ayotte · said 2026-07-28 · reported 2026-07-28
Ayotte reflected on the humor of the incident when Graham had her young son answer phone calls after Trump publicly shared Graham's number.