Washington DC – President Donald Trump has seemingly claimed the late singer Dolly Parton was a MAGA supporter, but is he right?
Since Parton’s family announced her tragic passing on Tuesday, prominent figures across entertainment and politics have been celebrating her life and legacy, while mourning the loss of an icon.
Predictably, Trump had to jump in. Soon after the news, he ordered flags at the White House to be flown at half-mast in her honor, but he has since appeared intent on making her passing about himself.
In an interview on Wednesday, Trump described Parton as “unique” and “amazing” and said the loss was “like losing a member of the family.”
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He went on to claim that he knew her “a little bit” and that she “wasn’t a very political person.”
“She really liked me, I will tell you,” he added.
On Thursday evening, Trump continued pushing the narrative by sharing a Truth Social post with an AI-generated drawing of Parton holding his arm as they take a stroll on the White House grounds.
His remarks garnered fierce backlash from fans on social media who have accused the president of being dishonest and tarnishing the singer’s legacy.
The president’s claims raise the question: Was Dolly Parton MAGA?
While Trump – who has been known to bend the truth – insists she is, Parton notably refused to weigh in on politics throughout the span of her long-running career.
In a recent piece, the BBC described her fanbase as including “grandmas and Gen-Zers, Republicans and Democrats, drag queens and evangelicals,” and said her efforts not to alienate any of them made Parton “a kind of unicorn in America’s polarized society.”
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During Trump’s first term in office, she twice declined his invitation to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing health and travel issues.
When his successor, President Joe Biden, made the same offer, she also turned it down, as she didn’t want it to appear as though she preferred one party over another.
It is worth noting that Parton has supported several causes and initiatives that are counter to Trump’s MAGA movement and agenda.
The Jolene singer has expressed her support for the LGBTQ+ community and feminism, spoken out against anti-transgender laws being pushed in her home state of Tennessee, and once said in an interview, “Of course, Black Lives Matter!”
“Do we think our little white a**es are the only ones that matter? No!” she exclaimed.
Parton also helped fund the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, has donated to pediatric infectious disease research, and founded the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – a literacy initiative that gifts books to children around the world.
