Dolly Parton was long known for keeping her politics private, often sidestepping questions about presidents and partisan debates. Still, Donald Trump has insisted the country music legend “really liked” him.
Parton died Tuesday at the age of 80 following a short battle with cancer.
After the news emerged, the president swiftly released a tribute celebrating her career and cultural impact, and directed that American flags be lowered to half-staff for one week in her memory.
“Very sad to report that 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,” Trump wrote.
He later added a more personal flourish, shifting from public condolence to a familiar Trump-style claim about their relationship.
“I knew her a little bit,” the president said during a Wednesday morning interview with Glenn Beck. “She wasn’t a very political person.”
“She really liked me, I will tell you,” he continued.
Parton, whose career was shaped in an era when entertainers often avoided public political statements, rarely offered direct commentary on government or partisan issues.
Donald Trump said on Wednesday that though Dolly Parton ‘wasn’t a very political person’ she ‘really liked’ him
Country music icon Dolly Parton died aged 80 in Nashville after suffering from cancer
Parton repeatedly rebuffed questions from the press about her political leanings
In 2016 when the presidential campaign was in full swing, Parton told CNN that Trump and Hillary Clinton were ‘both nuts.’
She went on to call the presidential race ‘the greatest show on television’ and declined to say which candidate she supported.
Some believed her comments about Clinton were a veiled endorsement, to which Parton further explained her nonpartisanship.
‘I have not endorsed Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump,’ the country star responded at the time.
Later in 2018, a reporter for ABC’s Nightline asked Parton if Trump compared to the sexist boss played in the 9 to 5 film.
Again, she declined to engage in the political fodder.
‘I’m not addressing that,’ she said, elegantly parrying away the inquiry.
‘I’m not in politics, I’m an entertainer,’ the music star continued. ‘That’s why I don’t talk about people.’
Paton was quick to remind reporters that she was an entertainer and not involved in politics
In a 2019 Guardian interview, when pressed on the president again, she cut off the inquiry stating, ‘I ain’t talking about Trump!’
While her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, Parton’s agents said previously that she had been forced to cancel a string of shows due to ‘health struggles.’
Parton’s Las Vegas residency – her first in 32 years – was initially postponed in September due to ‘health challenges,’ with six shows planned at Caesars Palace later moved before being officially canceled in May this year.
At the time, the Queen of Country, best known for her hits Jolene and 9 to 5, reassured fans: ‘Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,’ she said.
‘But I believe he is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.’
It has since been reported that Parton spent her final days in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was reportedly admitted to the hospital on Friday.
