A Texas street preacher took matters into his own hands Sunday, raising the American flag back to full-staff at a post office in open defiance of President Trump’s order honoring Dolly Parton.
David Grisham restored “Old Glory” to the top of the flagpole outside the Borger Post Office in the Texas Panhandle after Trump directed flags to be lowered for a week following the country music legend’s death at 80.
“She’s never served in the United States government in any capacity officially,” Grisham said in a video shared on Facebook. “I don’t think this is an appropriate way to honor her.”
Grisham argued that the rare tribute of flying flags at half-staff should be reserved exclusively for members of the military.
“I don’t think it’s the United States government’s business to honor some country western star. Many of our troops don’t get this honor,” he said.
“This flag should have been flown in top mast, not half-mast, for Dolly Parton,” he added.
Trump issued the proclamation on Aug. 25, ordering US flags at the White House, federal public buildings — including post offices — military installations and US embassies to remain at half-staff until sunset on Sept. 1 in Parton’s memory.
Grisham, however, was not alone in pushing back against the directive.
Ken Adams, the Republican mayor of Olive Branch, Miss., a suburb of Memphis, Tenn., also refused to lower the American flag following Parton’s death.
“I believe lowering the American flag to half-staff should mean something very significant,” Adams wrote Friday on the city’s Facebook page.
“In my opinion, it should be reserved for our military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents and other major national leaders, or events that have had a tremendous impact on our country,” he added.
Adams cited Mississippi’s Home Rule law, which gives cities authority over their internal affairs, and said mayors should “use our own judgment when appropriate” when making decisions for their constituents.
Parton had a history of supporting US troops, performing for service members at a Tennessee Air National Guard base in 2004 and hosting a 2005 Grand Ole Opry broadcast watched by troops in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Grisham has staged controversial — and outlandish — protests before.
In November 2023, the Texas preacher stood outside Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in Amarillo dressed as the Grinch and holding a sign that read, “Santa is Fake. Jesus is Real.”
Grisham said he was challenging what he viewed as a lie being told to children.
He also claimed he was assaulted outside the school and said police “showed up in force” to disrupt his protest and block him from “exercising my First Amendment rights as much as they could.”
