Trump Forgets One Awkward Detail in Tribute to Country Icon Dolly Parton, Critics Say

Donald Trump has mourned the death of Dolly Parton with an unusually warm tribute, ordering American flags to be lowered to half-staff across the United States for an entire week.

But there was one detail about Parton’s relationship with the president that critics were quick to bring up: she twice turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom when Trump’s administration offered it to her.

“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

"This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will," he continued.

“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m. “Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you," he added.

The country music icon died peacefully in Nashville on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 80. Her death was announced by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, in a video shared with fans. The singer had been facing health problems and had recently canceled a planned Las Vegas residency, but her death still came as a devastating shock to millions who had grown up with her music.

Her passing immediately triggered an extraordinary wave of tributes, including from former presidents on X.

Bill Clinton remembered Parton as “one of a kind—a great songwriter and performer,” while George W. Bush called her “a great entertainer and even greater person.”

Barack Obama described her life as extraordinary, pointing to her humble beginnings, her 11 Grammys, her business empire and her work helping millions of children learn to read. Joe Biden called Parton “an American original” and “a trailblazer in every sense of the word.”

But it was Trump’s tribute that drew particular attention because of the “Jolene” hitmaker's complicated history with presidential honors.

During Trump’s first presidency, his administration offered Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice. She declined the first offer because her husband, Carl Dean, was ill. She turned down the second because she did not want to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The singer later declined the honor under Biden as well, explaining that she did not want accepting it to appear political.

“Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics,” she said in a 2021 inteview with Today.

That history has fueled some brutally blunt reactions online.

"Dolly declined offers for the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the Trump administration twice. This was her way of expressing her feelings about him," one critic wrote.

“Just remember, she couldn’t stand you,” another commenter said.

A third wrote, “Dolly Parton HATED you and everything you stand for.”

Still, Parton herself repeatedly insisted that her decision was not about choosing one political side over another.

“I am not political, and I refuse to get caught up in political things,” she said in a 2020 interview with USA Today, explaining that she had both Republican and Democratic fans and did not want to alienate either group.

“I don't want to offend anybody, I have a right to myself. Like God gave us free will, America gave us free speech, but you've got to be responsible for anything you say and do,” she added.