Lindsey Graham, who has died aged 71, was a political survivor.

His career as a Republican senator served as a revealing barometer of the dramatically changing climate in his political party – and in the United States – in the era of Donald Trump.

While there were certain issues central to Graham’s political identity – including a tough foreign policy that focused on containing Russia’s global ambitions, support for Israel and regime change in Iran – his 23-year career in the Senate was marked by a willingness to adapt to the changing political winds that accompanied Trump’s rise to power.

Shortly after being elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002, Graham became a close ally of Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who, while a staunch conservative, developed a national reputation for political independence.

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

“If I become president, we’ll open a bar in the White House,” Graham said. “Let’s get drunk and solve problems.”

He was enraged when Trump criticized war hero McCain for being a prisoner of war, and the New York real estate magnate 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 “moron” who shouldn’t be president.

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

In response, Graham destroyed a collection of cell phones in a stunt video.