Dolly Parton Wouldn't Accept the Medal of Freedom from Trump and Probably Won't from Biden - Here's Why
Country music icon Dolly Parton says she twice turned down the opportunity to be awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Donald Trump, and liberals are hailing her as an anti-Trump queen.
But there’s a catch: The 75-year-old isn’t sure if she would the same award from President Joe Biden either.
The corporate media, the political hacks on social media and others would like to portray Parton as being some sort of #resistance figure by pretending that comments she made Monday about turning down the award twice from Trump put her in their corner.
In fact, Parton did state plainly during an interview on NBC’s “Today” show that she twice spurned the country’s 45th president when offered the nation’s highest civilian honor.
“I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill. Then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,” she said.
Dolly Parton on @TODAYshow says she turned down Trump’s Medal of Freedom award offer twice … and doesn’t think she can accept if Biden asks because it would feel like “doin’ politics.”
“I don’t work for those awards, it’d be nice, but I’m not sure that I even deserve it.” pic.twitter.com/TyComfBC2a
— The Recount (@therecount) February 2, 2021
But those remarks came after she was asked about the possibility of accepting that very same award from the Biden administration.
Parton shot down co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager when she disclosed a piece of information that should have seemed relevant in the biased establishment media’s headlines: The Biden administration has apparently already offered her the award, or come close to it.
After Parton was asked if she had heard from the new administration about the award, she responded, “I actually have.”
“Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t work for those awards. It’d be nice but I’m not sure that I even deserve it. But it’s a nice compliment for people to think that I might deserve it.”
The style and music icon says she twice turned down the award from Trump, both times for logistical reasons, and now isn’t sure she would accept one from Biden, apparently for political reasons, as she wishes to stay impartial.
But if you look at news headlines and the messaging from Twitter’s activists, you might be under the impression that Parton, like some sort of valiant leftist activist, had turned down the award from Trump because she was part of the #resistance.
.@DollyParton doesn’t need an ego boost to affirm her greatness. https://t.co/Sex1TJpYmf
— W Magazine (@wmag) February 2, 2021
Dolly Parton explains why she refused Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump — twice https://t.co/evkCkdLcko
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) February 2, 2021
Dolly Parton says turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice during Trump years https://t.co/ihu9bkbReI
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) February 2, 2021
Dolly Parton rejected Trump’s Presidential Medal of Freedom offer twice. https://t.co/d2wAVOmnNs
— Complex (@Complex) February 2, 2021
It gives me a nice warm feeling that Dolly Parton turned down the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ from Donald Trump TWICE.
I reckon Dolly’s got all the freedom she needs. She flies on the wings of her talent, and the sweet sassy lady she is ❤️
— Mandoline ? (@Mandoline_Blue) February 2, 2021
Singer Dolly Parton turned down an offer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom TWICE during the Trump administration.
THAT’S GOOD! ???
— ❤ ?️? Lovable BradHound 2021! ?️? ❤ (@BradHound) February 2, 2021
Queen, yes. https://t.co/Mk7vVdBUCo
— Zach Carter (@zachdcarter) February 2, 2021
Just when I thought I could not possibly love @DollyParton more, here’s one more reason to do just that. ? pic.twitter.com/fINH9hXNP9
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) February 2, 2021
How I’m sleeping tonight knowing Dolly Parton turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump—twice. pic.twitter.com/CY8J8xVh0B
— Jermaine (@JermaineWatkins) February 3, 2021
Just look at how vague, misleading and outright dishonest those posts were — and they were only the tip of the iceberg.
In all likelihood, Parton wants to avoid engaging in the three-ring circus that is national politics, no matter what her personal views are. She might be rabidly anti-Trump, but we simply don’t know, and that’s great.
It’s a breath of fresh air in a hyper-political celebrity landscape where many of those among us who were blessed with talent in the arts too often pretend that their bank accounts and social statuses qualify them to tell the rest of us how to think.
Parton does deserve the award — from any administration. She donated $1 million of her own money last year to Vanderbilt University for the institution’s coronavirus research. According to CNN, some of that money went to Moderna’s COVID vaccine.
In apparently declining for the third time to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom — or at least in suggesting she is “not sure” if she’d take it — Parton can avoid getting wrapped up in what would obviously be a situation that would alienate many of her fans and hurt her bottom line.
You can’t donate $1 million to a good cause if you’ve hindered your ability to earn $1 million.
The living legend doesn’t need the award if she has the respect of all who appreciate her contributions to culture, and also now to public health. Right now, she has that respect, and arguably deserves more.
But despite the left’s victory lap on this story, Parton seems to simply be staying in the middle, and more celebrities should follow her lead.
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