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Dolly Parton's History With Donald Trump as President Praises Her
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The death of country music icon Dolly Parton at age 80 has prompted tributes from across the political spectrum, including from President Donald Trump, who has long spoken positively about the singer, songwriter and philanthropist.
Parton's decades-long career made her one of America's most recognizable entertainers, while her charitable work and efforts to stay above partisan politics earned admiration from both Republicans and Democrats. Although Parton generally avoided talking politics, she made a few comments over the years to clarify her positions when she was brought into the conversation.
In an October poll from the University of Massachusetts, Parton was the only person included in the survey to get over 50 percent favorable rating from Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Her family announced her death in a video on social media on Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly praised Parton over the years, describing her as an American cultural icon whose influence reached far beyond country music.
"This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social following news of Parton's death.
Trump added that he was ordering the American flag to be at half-staff for one week starting Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Parton's widespread popularity made her one of the few entertainers admired across political divides. Her career spanned more than six decades and included chart-topping music, film roles, business ventures and major philanthropic initiatives. She sold more than 100 million records and became one of the most successful female artists in country music history.
During his first term, Trump's administration twice offered Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
In a 2021 interview on NBC's Today show, Parton revealed that the Trump administration offered her the award twice. She said she couldn't accept the first invitation because her husband, Carl Dean, was ill. When she was approached again, she declined because she did not want to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parton emphasized that her decisions were not political. She said that her circumstances simply made it difficult to attend a White House ceremony. Later, when discussions arose about potentially receiving the award from then-President Joe Biden, Parton said she worried that accepting it could be perceived as taking a political side.
"I don't work for those awards. It'd be nice, but I'm not sure that I even deserve it. But that's a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it," Parton told Today .
That response reflected a philosophy Parton maintained throughout much of her career. Rather than weighing in on partisan disputes, she often described herself as an entertainer whose role was to bring people together rather than divide them.
Throughout the campaign and the years that followed, she consistently avoided explicitly endorsing a presidential candidate. Instead, she frequently emphasized respect for differing viewpoints and encouraged civility among Americans with different political beliefs.
In 2016, Parton told CNN's Brooke Baldwin that the presidential race was the "greatest show on television right now" but declined to endorse either candidate.
"I don't know where they're going to land, but I think they're both nuts," she said, joking that "it's like watching the OJ Simpson trial. You just believe whoever's up next. Whoever testified last is who you believe."
Earlier that year, Parton said that a woman would do a great job as president and that Clinton was qualified, which many took as an endorsement. However, Parton clarified in a Facebook post that reports of her endorsing Clinton were wrong. She said her comments were "taken out of context," and she hadn't endorsed either Clinton or Trump.
"I try not to get political but if I am, I might as well just run myself 'cause I've got the hair for it, it's huge, and they could always use more boobs in the race. But seriously, I have not decided who I'm voting for, but no matter what we're gonna be suffering from PMS, Presidential Mood Swings," Parton said on Facebook.
On Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton paid tribute to the country icon on X, writing that she was "one of a kind." He said that she told the stories of everyday Americans and "never forgot where she came from."
"Hillary and I were big fans and first saw her in 1974, and will always be grateful for the music and the memories. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her legion of fans, and everyone who loved her," the former president said.
At the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards, Parton joined her 9 to 5 co-stars, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, onstage where they criticized Trump for being a "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot." Years later, Parton said she doesn't want to be "dragged into" politics, but she wasn't surprised, since she knows Tomlin and Fonda are political.
"I just did not want everybody to think that whatever they think is what I think. I don't really like getting up on TV and saying political things. I don't even want to make a deal out of it, but I want people to know I'm my own individual self," Parton said.
She also said in a 2019 episode of her podcast that she has too many fans on both sides of the political aisle, so she doesn't "do politics" despite having her own opinions.
I've seen things before, like the Dixie Chicks. You can ruin a career for speaking out." Parton said. "I respect my audience too much for that; I respect myself too much for that. Of course I have my own opinions, but that don't mean I got to throw them out there, because you're going to piss off half the people."
Decades before Trump became president, Parton sent a televised birthd...
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