Dolly Parton told President Trump to go away—twice

by Christopher Reeves

Community

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Monday, Dec. 13, 2021 Monday, Dec. 13, 2021 at 8:47:31am PST

US singer Dolly Parton performs onstage during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

In an NPR story posted over the weekend, we discover that Dolly Parton turned down Donald Trump. She didn’t do it once, she turned the former president down twice in his offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was scheduled to be honored for many reasons, including her funding efforts toward finding a vaccine for COVID. Thanks in part to her generous donation, the Moderna vaccine was developed.

Dolly Parton’s efforts for promising causes give us all a reason to celebrate this American icon.

Dolly Parton’s support of the LGBTQ community goes back to 1991, when she established herself as a trailblazer in public support for equality. Her podcast has become a wonder, speaking to issues like immigration, homelessness, the rights of women.

Let me live in Dolly Parton’s America. That is the America we all need.