Following the news of Dolly Parton's death, the president ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the United States for a week. This will give her a significantly longer official period of mourning than deceased politicians who were close to Donald Trump, including Senator Lindsey Graham and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Newsweek notes.
Donald Trump and then Joe Biden tried to give Dolly Parton the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but she never accepted it. The first time she said it was because of the Covid pandemic, the second time because it could be perceived as a political statement, The Hill reports.
The hit song "9 to 5" became an anthem of the working class, but Dolly Parton herself avoided making public political statements. "Dollitics" was sometimes called her diplomacy, and even in today's polarized America, she has been a unifying force, according to CNN.
