Trump Orders Flags Lowered To Honor Dolly Parton

President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered across the nation to honor Dolly Parton, the iconic country singer and entertainer who died Tuesday at age 80.

“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”

Trump added that flags will be lowered starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday for an entire week.

“Rest in Peace, Dolly!” the president continued. “The World loves you.”

Parton’s family, in a video posted to social media, announced her death but did not specify the cause.

Following the announcement of her death, Republicans and Democrats expressed an outpouring of support, highlighting Parton’s near universal favor — an increasingly rare phenomenon at a moment when so many cultural icons have become fodder for the culture war. Public displays of mourning have largely focused on Parton’s philanthropic and musical legacy.

Parton herself was careful to avoid politics. She turned down the presidential medal of freedom twice during the first Trump administration, and later said she wouldn’t accept the award from the Biden administration because she didn’t want to appear political.

Nonetheless, Parton, who rose from abject poverty in Tennessee, cultivated a philanthropic career through her book-gifting program Imagination Library, which she founded in 1995 and has delivered more than 200 million free books to babies and young children.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote on social media that the program sparked “brighter futures for thousands of children across our commonwealth” and would leave a legacy that “will continue for generations to come.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) similarly celebrated the impact of the Imagination Library, writing on X that Parton’s legacy will “live on in the classrooms and communities she uplifted and the beautiful music she created.”

California GOP state Sen. Shannon Grove, who co-authored a bipartisan bill to expand the Imagination Library in California said Tuesday that Parton’s “genuine love” for all contributed to her unanimous base of support.

“That’s who she was, and we should all strive to be more like her,” Grove said.

Tyler Katzenberger contributed to this report.