From Trump critic to ally, Lindsey Graham was a survivor of Maga-era politics.

Lindsey Graham, who has died at the age of 71, was a political survivor.

His career as a Republican senator has served as a telling barometer for the dramatically changed climate in his political party — and in America — under Donald Trump.

Some of the issues central to Graham’s political identity — including Russia’s international ambitions, support for Israel and a hawkish foreign policy focused on containing Iran’s regime change — have been shaped by his willingness to adapt to the changing political winds that have accompanied Trump’s rise to power during his 23 years in the Senate.

In the year Shortly after being elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002, Graham developed a national reputation for political independence while being a close friend of Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, a staunch conservative.

When Graham ran for president in 2015, the idea of ​​easing partisan tensions and working with political opponents was one of his central messages.

“If I’m president, we’ll open a bar in the White House,” Graham said. “We drink alcohol and solve problems.”

As Trump criticized war hero McCain for being a prisoner of war, the New York real estate mogul said at a campaign event, “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” Graham called Trump a “jackass” who doesn’t deserve to be president.

Trump then read out Graham’s phone number at a rally, which bombarded the senator with angry calls and texts.

In response, Graham destroys a collection of cellphones with a moving video.