A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, July 12, 2026 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” CO-ANCHOR: I'm joined now by Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.Senator, I'm so sorry for your loss, for the loss in your state.SEN. TIM SCOTT, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: Good morning (ph).RADDATZ: You and Senator Graham served together in the Senate for more than 13 years together. What do you want Americans to remember about him, your friend, your colleague?SCOTT: Thank you so much.I'll say, America lost a statesman, but I lost a friend. And one of the most important parts of the Lindsey Graham story and journey is that, here’s a person who always saw you. So often in politics, many Americans feel unseen, they feel invisible. And Lindsey saw them. So often he would take the time, and whether it was case work in his office, whether it was on the Senate floor, he always was looking for people who seemed to feel invisible.And one of the most powerful forces for good, Lindsey Graham, is because his pain of his past, losing his mother and then, within 15 months, losing his father, that misery he used to make sure that everybody was seen and that he was absolutely aggressive about keeping Americans safe. It is his legacy, America is a safer country because of Lindsey Graham.RADDATZ: You became the first black senator in the state’s history. Graham said of that historic moment, at the time, this is a day that has been long in the making in South Carolina. He really did welcome you into the Senate.SCOTT: He did. He’s just a good person -- that was a good person, a great friend. And he had the ability to make you feel welcome. When you’re going to do something that has never been done before, you find yourself looking around a room for someone who seems to want to embrace you and accept you. Lindsey was very fast on that side. He was just dead there for me. He was right in the spot. And I will always remember Lindsey Graham as a guy who was, as soon as I was appointed to the Senate, he embraced my candidacy for re-election. He was there on the campaign trail with me.But to my mother, he became a friend. To my family, he became a friend. He was one of only three or four senators I invited to my wedding because Lindsey Graham had become a part of the family. And it is a rare thing in politics, a rare thing in life to find people who are actually your friend.As Lindsey Graham said it a long time ago, it makes me laugh now, if you want a friend in Washington, D.C., buy a dog. And he, Martha, actually proved that concept wrong because he was my friend.RADDATZ: Well, Senator Graham was originally a critic of then-candidate Donald Trump. That certainly switched. He was one of the president’s most loyal followers. How did that transition happen? And when you look at that, what did you see?SCOTT: Well, Martha, I think it happened over time. There -- here’s two hardcore, hard-working, hard-nosed individuals running essentially against each other, and then ultimately they became the best of friends. I can’t think of anyone in the Senate who spoke to President Trump more than Lindsey Graham.The evolution of their relationship, I think, it started once again with their -- both their commitment to winning was incredible, but their willingness to listen, even when they vehemently disagreed, was remarkable. I've been in rooms with both of them. And I've got to tell you that their true friendship could only be seen behind the curtain, so to speak, where they would argue back and forth over important issues, always respectfully. Lindsey Graham always understood the office of the presidency deserves respect, but he also said my friend, Donald J. Trump, deserves respect.And that relationship was forged under fire because they had so many opportunities to work together from a foreign policy standpoint. But it was also forged on the golf course, where they had I bet you a 100 plus hours playing golf over a decade, understanding and appreciating the unique differences that they brought -- both brought to the table. And it was the ability to see the benefit of talking to people not like yourself that made Lindsey Graham such a powerful force for good for our country. And I think that actually led he and President Trump to having a really powerful friendship.RADDATZ: Just quickly, a closing thought. How do you fill that hole?SCOTT: You don’t. Lindsey Graham was irreplaceable. What you do, however, is you try to move on. And our state will have to move on. I think August will be a very busy month in South Carolina as we start the process of finding the Republican nominee for this November’s ballot. You can’t fill a Lindsey Graham hole.I can tell you one thing, I can’t -- I don’t know another person who spent his entire adult life for one purpose, to make sure America remained the safest country on the planet to live. It was literally -- I think of his sister, and I think of America, that would be the two major ingredients to Lindsey Graham’s family.RADDATZ: OK.SCOTT: And he was just that committed to our country.RADDATZ: Thank you so much for joining us this morning and those thoughts, Senator.SCOTT: Yes, ma’am.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)REPORTER: Is the ceasefire over? Is the ceasefire done? Is the MOU dead?DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with anything, but they're scum.You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people.And they're vicious, violent people, and if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over.(END VIDEO CLIP)MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” CO-ANCHOR: President Trump at the NATO summit saying the ceasefire with Iran was over after renewed strikes this week broke the fragile truce.After efforts at negotiations in the region, over the weekend, last night, a new escalation. Iran saying the Strait of Hormuz is closed after they fired on a commercial ship. The U.S. responding with its third round of strikes on targets inside Iran in the past week.I'm joined now by the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Michael Waltz.Good morning, Mr. Ambassador.I want to start first with your thoughts about Senator Graham. I think you first met him when he was a colonel in the Air National Guard, and you met him in Afghanistan. Thoughts this morning?MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I did. My heart breaks for his family, particularly his sister, who he raised, while putting himself through college after losing their parents at an early age, his nieces. For South Carolina, he took such pride, whether it was a little old lady who didn't get the benefits she deserved, that was married to a veteran, and Lindsey would lean in and tell the bureaucracy we're going to do this the easy way or the hard way. Or as I just -- as you just mentioned, I met him in Afghanistan. He was there on his reserve duty.Senator Graham would become Colonel Graham. It drove the Pentagon crazy, by the way. Not only was he out there training the Afghan JAG officers, but really what he wanted was ground truth. And that's what he really prized.And I think everyone should remember him for that he brought that ground truth back. He always looked out for the troops and that, you know, at the end of the day, he said, our freedoms can never be taken for granted. They have to be defended with strength. And we have to support our military to keep us all safe and free and our economy open.RADDATZ: Well, the senator certainly supported President Trump's war in Iran. So let's turn to that.Overnight, the U.S. resumed bombing for the third time this week. And the president had given Iran yet another chance with a meeting in Oman on Saturday, demanding that Iran say publicly that the strait would be opened and they would not fire on ships.That did not happen. We bombed again. They said nothing like that publicly.How did this fall apart so quickly?WALTZ: Well, I think Iran is still very much of the mindset that it can use the global economy as some type of leverage. We've -- not just the United States, but we've said here at the United Nations, 143 nations have stood together and said what Iran is doing is in violation of international law. Regardless of whether you're party to some conflict, you cannot start shooting in all directions, attacking your neighbors, attacking civilian shipping, civilian infrastructure, throwing mines in international waterways, and acting like the irresponsible genocidal regime that many have always accused it of being.Popular ReadsRADDATZ: Ambassador --WALTZ: And so, the world stands with the United States that this is unacceptable behavior. And the president -- just to directly answer your question -- has always said this was a performance-based MOU. Iran is not living up to it, and all options are on the table. We saw that from our great U.S. military overnight.RADDATZ: On Friday, a senior U.S. official said that the Iranians had come to you and said that it was a mistake that they fired on a commercial ship last week. Did you believe them?They said it was an errant part of the regime. Who is the errant part of the regime, and did you believe them?WALTZ: Well, look, is the Iranian regime just completely out of control? Is -- who are we ultimately negotiating with? And if that is to be believed, then where is the discipline? I mean, this is a regime that massacred 40,000 people in the street for daring to protest.RADDATZ: But are you talking about the IRGC?(CROSSTALK)WALTZ: -- people and athletes, but -- but yet -- but, Martha, but yet, we're going to have -- we're supposed to believe that some junior officers are going rogue and firing on ships, but yet face no consequences from a dictatorial hierarchy-based entity like the IRGC.I don't buy it. I don't think we buy it. And at the end of the day, where's the discipline and the public apology if that's the case? And that's simply what the president and his team asked for.But instead --(CROSSTALK)RADDATZ: But the president is going back and forth.WALTZ: We got more attacks, and now you're going to get a response.RADDATZ: The president goes back and forth. He said the people he was talking to were very rational, nice to deal with, strong, smart. And then they're suddenly scum.What happened there?WALTZ: Well, I'll just use the president's own words. He got to know them.And this is a regime that cheated on the JCPOA, is obsessed with a nuclear weapon, has said they will use one if they get one. And look at what they're doing to the world's economy with drones and missiles. One could only imagine what they would do with a nuclear weapon.And as I asked in the U.N. Security Council, they've attacked ships from Singapore, from Cyprus, from Panama. So they use this false notion of self-defense. What did any of those countries, what did those civilian seafarers do to Iran? They did nothing to Iran.They’re -- they attacked their own people. They're attacking the global economy. They're attacking their neighbors.This is a regime that is incredibly difficult to deal with. We can have no trust in all verify. But I will say, Martha, that the technical teams, in terms of the nuclear file, are still talking.The president's ultimate goal, and he's been very clear and very consistent, is this regime cannot have a nuclear weapon. And those experts in terms of what to do with their highly enriched uranium, with their enrichment program, with the sites that we hit in Midnight Hammer, they are still talking, even though the ceasefire has broken down.RADDATZ: And I -- and I have to ask you quickly, Mike Huckabee, the ambassador in Israel, our ambassador in Israel, said the Israelis did talk about a new plot -- a specific plot against the president. Is that true or false?WALTZ: Well, I won't get into specific intelligence, but this regime, going all the way up to the Ayatollah, has plotted to kill President Trump for many years. And not only him, but many of his cabinet officials that were involved in the killing of the Iranian general, Soleimani.They have operatives here in the United States. Plots are ongoing. But our intelligence community, the FBI, our law enforcement entities are absolutely on top of it. But make no mistake: that the Iranian regime is trying to kill President Trump and those around him. It is absolutely -- and it's just unacceptable on so many levels.RADDATZ: Okay. Thank you for joining us again this morning. We appreciate your time. Coming up, all the fallout for Democrats in Maine after the exit of Graham Platner from that critical Senate race. We'll be right back.UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prime Minister (ph) (INAUDIBLE). How are you? So good to see you.VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: The NATO Summit was successful for us. I hope that it will continue.REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, (R) TEXAS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEMBER: We are on the front lines. The -- visiting your air assault brigades. And I have to say, we were very impressed. I mean the innovation you’ve made with your drone technology is very impressive.(END VIDEO CLIP)MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” CO-ANCHOR: Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy this week with Congressman Michael McCaul, who was awarded the country’s Medal of Freedom for his staunch support of Ukraine through the more than four year long conflict.RADDATZ: Congressman McCaul joins me now from Warsaw, Poland, after his visit to Ukraine. Good morning to you, Congressman.REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, (R) TEXAS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEMBER: Good morning.RADDATZ: I know you are as shocked as anyone about the news about Lindsey Graham. You were friends with Senator Graham. He had just left Ukraine as well, although I knew you were on different codels. How do you think Senator Graham should be remembered?MCCAUL: Well, first of all, it’s a sad day for America. I think the Senate lost a giant today. He was my mentor, my friend. We shared the same worldview that when -- when we are strongest at home, the United States is, when we’re stronger abroad. He believed in a strong America and a strong foreign policy. He believed in Reagan’s peace through strength doctrine. And I think that’s how he would like to be remembered.I also remember so many trips with him and the legendary John McCain, who started that, you know, for -- over the years traveling with him. A very great sense of humor, but great vision, great ideas. The latest one is the sanctions bill that we’ve worked on for the last year. We were planning to introduce the sanction bill together this coming week. I will still introduce that bill, the Senate will, and I think in his honor that we owe it to Lindsey Graham to pass that tough Russian sanctions bill. He would love nothing more than that.RADDATZ: And what about aid to Ukraine? Where does that stand?MCCAUL: Well, I think the biggest aid that we’re giving them is through the -- our ISR, the Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance, I know with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Ukraine.I have to say, also, the NATO Summit had a big impression on Ukraine. Zelenskyy was very upbeat because two things happened there. One, President Trump agreed to these licensing agreements that Ukraine can build their own interceptor -- Patriot interceptors to take down the ballistic missile threat, which is our biggest vulnerability right now.But secondly, I think most importantly, the morale boost, as I was on the front lines, the morale boost to the troops who were, by the way, Martha, winning now. Who would -- who would have thought that four years ago, that they’d be winning the war four years later? But also the political will of the Ukrainians and President Zelenskyy walking out of that meeting. That was a game changer. A truly remarkable mean (ph) between President Trump and Zelenskyy. And I think we’re on the right course.RADDATZ: Congressman, you talked about the Patriot missile batteries. That would take many, many years to build those. So, don’t they need more help right now?MCCAUL: That’s exactly what we were talking about. You know, when I passed the Emergency Wartimes Supplemental Bill, it gave them a lifeline, $60 billion in military equipment, a lifeline to advance to where they are today. Now, they are the leader in the world in terms of drone technology. We need to be in that laboratory. You know, the best testing ground is on the battlefield, and they are learning so much.You are correct, though; it takes one to two years for Lockheed to make these interceptors. I think the Ukrainians can make them faster. But we have to come up with creative ways to get interceptors in there now. We need to give them a short-term band-aid to fix this problem. They’re winning in the -- in the drone war space. Where they’re vulnerable, and I experienced this in Kyiv several nights, are the constant bombardments of ballistic missiles, and Putin knows they’re vulnerable here, and we need to help them stop that.RADDATZ: And on that -- on that -- on that point, we just have a few seconds here. President Trump says he thinks Putin wants to end this. Does anything signal that to you? Quickly if you can.MCCAUL: No. The only thing that will end it is maximum pressure to get Putin to the negotiating table. President Zelenskyy told me just yesterday he’s ready for a ceasefire; he’s ready to negotiate. The only man stopping this peace process is Mr. Putin. And that won’t happen until we put maximum pressure, that being the interceptors, the drones, which are knocking out billions of dollars of Russian equipment and technology, and the Russian sanctions that Lindsey Graham wanted so, so much.RADDATZ: OK, thanks for joining us this morning. Safe travels back home.We’ll be right back.