Dolly Parton death on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80 prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum, including from President Donald Trump, who ordered American flags lowered to half-staff in her honor and later told radio host Glenn Beck that Parton “really liked” him. The comment has renewed interest in what Parton actually said about Trump during her lifetime, since the country icon was famously guarded about sharing her political views.
Parton’s relationship with politics was defined less by any specific alliance and more by a consistent, decades-long refusal to take sides. Still, over the years, she was asked directly about Trump on multiple occasions, and her answers offer a clear picture of how she handled one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics without ever fully endorsing or rejecting him.
Here is a complete rundown of what Dolly Parton said about Donald Trump throughout her career, along with the context surrounding Trump’s tribute to her.
Trump’s Tribute to Dolly Parton
Donald Trump posted his tribute to Parton on Truth Social shortly after news of her death broke. He called her one of the greatest country singers of all time, wrote that there had never been anyone like her, and announced that he was ordering the American flag lowered nationwide for a one-week period. He closed the post by wishing her rest in peace and writing that the world loved her.
Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the… pic.twitter.com/WICghhk73d
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 25, 2026
The following day, August 26, Trump discussed Parton at greater length during a phone appearance on The Glenn Beck Program. He described her as unique, amazing, and a great and nice person, and said losing her felt like losing a member of the family. He also said Parton “really liked” him, adding that she never publicly endorsed him because doing so would have cost her a portion of her fan base.
That claim drew immediate pushback. Critics pointed out that Parton had spent decades declining to endorse any political figure, of any party, and that she had also been a public supporter of the LGBTQ community and said Black lives mattered, positions not typically associated with Trump’s political base. Social media users accused Trump of making the moment about himself, with some questioning whether Parton’s famously diplomatic public manner should be read as personal affection.
Dolly Parton’s Long-Standing Refusal to Talk Politics
Long before Trump entered politics, Parton had already built a reputation for staying above the partisan fray. She explained her reasoning many times over the decades, and her answer rarely changed: she had fans across the political spectrum, and she did not want to alienate any of them.
In a 2019 episode of her podcast, Dolly Parton’s America, she said she has too many fans on both sides of the aisle to get involved in politics. She pointed to the Dixie Chicks as an example of how quickly a public political statement could damage a career, and said she respected both her audience and herself too much to risk it.
She offered a similar explanation in a 2020 interview with USA Today, stating plainly that she was not political and refused to get caught up in political matters. On Fox and Friends around the same period, she described herself as a “hypocrat,” a term she coined to reflect the fact that her mother was a Democrat and her father was a Republican.
According to a University of Massachusetts poll cited in coverage of her political stance, Parton was the only celebrity to earn a 50 percent favorable rating from Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike, a reflection of just how successful her apolitical approach had been.
What Dolly Parton Said About Trump Specifically
While Parton avoided direct political commentary, she was asked about Trump on several occasions and did not always dodge the subject entirely.
The 1990 Birthday Message
Long before Trump’s political career began, Parton reportedly sent him a televised birthday message in 1990, when he was known primarily as a real estate developer. The two never met in person, according to BuzzFeed News reporting on the exchange.
The Kenny Rogers Comparison (2016)
In March 2016, Parton’s longtime friend and collaborator Kenny Rogers referred to her as the “Donald Trump of country music,” a comment about her larger-than-life personality rather than her politics. Asked about the comparison in a Rolling Stone interview, Parton joked that she and Trump shared similar hair and that both of them were known for saying whatever came to mind.
The 2016 Election
During the 2016 presidential race, Parton was drawn into the conversation after remarks she made about Hillary Clinton were widely interpreted as an endorsement. She pushed back on that interpretation on Facebook, joking that if she were going to get political, she might as well run for office herself. She also quipped that the country was in for “Presidential Mood Swings” no matter who won.
In a separate CNN interview around the same time, she declined to back either candidate, describing the race as the “greatest show on television” and saying she believed both Trump and Clinton were “nuts,” comparing the spectacle to the O.J. Simpson trial.
The 2017 Emmy Awards
In September 2017, Parton reunited on stage with her 9 to 5 co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Fonda and Tomlin used the moment to sharply criticize Trump, but Parton did not join in. She later explained to People magazine that she did not want audiences to assume her co-stars’ opinions were also her own, adding that she preferred to defuse tension with a joke rather than a political statement.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Perhaps the most substantive Trump-related news involving Parton came from her account of being offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, twice during Trump’s first term.
In a February 2021 interview on Today, Parton explained that she declined the honor the first time because her husband, Carl Dean, was ill, and the second time because she did not want to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. She added that accepting the award might make it look like she was taking a political side, so she chose not to pursue it, even after the Biden administration also reached out about the honor.
Parton never received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from either administration. In a 2020 appearance on The Late Show, Barack Obama was asked why Parton had never received the honor and called it a mistake, saying he was surprised and had assumed she already had one.
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Her Sister’s Different Approach
While Dolly Parton kept her own views largely private, her younger sister, Stella Parton, has been notably more outspoken and has publicly criticized Trump on multiple occasions. The contrast between the two sisters’ approaches to political commentary has been noted by entertainment outlets covering the family’s dynamic, particularly in the wake of Dolly’s death and the renewed attention on her political history.
Reaction to Trump’s Claims
Trump’s comments about Parton “really liking” him drew scrutiny from multiple outlets given her documented history of studied neutrality. Commentators noted that Parton had never publicly endorsed Trump, had voiced support for LGBTQ rights and said Black lives mattered, and had, if anything, gone out of her way throughout her career to avoid the impression of alignment with any political figure or party.
Some social media users suggested that Parton’s diplomatic public persona, treating virtually everyone she interacted with warmly, may have been misread by Trump and others as personal or political affinity, rather than her long-practiced approach to dealing with public figures across the spectrum without causing offense.
Tributes From Across the Political Spectrum
Trump’s tribute was one of many that arrived from political figures on both sides following Parton’s death. Former President Bill Clinton praised her as a great songwriter who told the stories of everyday Americans with honesty and heart. Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura Bush released a joint statement praising her music, style, and her charitable work supporting literacy and community health. Former President Barack Obama highlighted her humble origins, her business success, her literacy work through the Imagination Library, and her contribution to funding research that helped accelerate the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
The breadth of tributes, spanning the entire modern political spectrum, underscored the same point Parton had made about herself for decades: she had built a career and a public identity that transcended party lines, appealing to audiences that otherwise agreed on very little.
FAQ
What did Dolly Parton say about Trump?
Parton avoided direct political commentary about Trump for most of her career. She joked about sharing similar hair with him in 2016, called both Trump and Hillary Clinton “nuts” during the 2016 election without endorsing either, and explained in multiple interviews that she declined to discuss politics because she had fans on both sides of the aisle.
Did Dolly Parton support Trump?
There is no public record of Parton endorsing Trump. She consistently described herself as apolitical and stated that she did not want her personal opinions to affect her relationship with her fans, regardless of their political affiliation.
Why did Dolly Parton turn down the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Parton was offered the honor twice during Trump’s presidency. She declined the first time because her husband, Carl Dean, was ill, and the second time because she did not want to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said accepting it might make it appear she was taking a political side.
What did Trump say about Dolly Parton after her death?
Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social calling Parton one of the greatest country singers ever and ordered American flags lowered for one week in her honor. In a later radio appearance, he said Parton “really liked” him and that she avoided endorsing him publicly to protect her broad fan base.
Did Dolly Parton ever criticize Trump?
There is no public record of Parton directly criticizing Trump by name. She distanced herself from her 9 to 5 co-stars’ criticism of Trump at the 2017 Emmy Awards, explaining she did not want to be seen as taking a political stance.
Is Dolly Parton’s family politically active?
Dolly Parton’s younger sister, Stella Parton, has been publicly critical of Trump on several occasions, a notable contrast to Dolly’s studied political neutrality throughout her career.
Why was Dolly Parton considered apolitical?
Parton explained in numerous interviews that she had a diverse fan base spanning the political spectrum and did not want to risk alienating any portion of it. She often described herself using the term “hypocrat,” referencing her mother’s Democratic and her father’s Republican political leanings.
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Last Updated on August 27, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
