Excerpts from a forthcoming documentary reveal that Senator Lindsey Graham credited himself with persuading then-President Donald Trump to join Israel in going to war against Iran. The footage shows Graham "almost cried" with joy when the conflict began and offered to lobby Trump on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to also attack Lebanon.

Graham, who died on July 11, 2026, at age 71, was a close confidant of both Trump and Netanyahu, who attended his funeral. British filmmaker Alex Holder and his team, granted extensive access to Graham over three years, provided the Wall Street Journal with excerpts from over 400 hours of footage.

One excerpt shows Graham speaking with the documentary crew shortly after watching Trump answer reporters on March 3, 2026, the first time since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and initiated the war. Graham claimed he had successfully persuaded Trump to launch the war despite opposition within the president's circle and compared the Trump-Netanyahu alliance to the World War II partnership between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Another segment shows a telephone conversation between Graham and Netanyahu on March 4, two days after Hezbollah resumed rocket attacks on Israel in support of Iran.

The footage highlights Graham's hawkish stance and close ties with key political figures involved in the conflict.

Sources