Donald Trump has claimed that the much-missed Dolly Parton was a fan of his. During an interview with Glenn Beck, the president said her death felt like him “losing a member of the family”, and added, “I knew her a little bit. She wasn’t a very political person. She really liked me, I will tell you.” There is no evidence whatsoever that Parton “liked” Trump. In fact, Parton spent decades ensuring she wasn’t tied to any political party, despite interviewers occasionally prodding her to take a side. During the 2016 election, she resisted endorsing either Clinton or Trump, saying she thought “they’re both nuts”. Perhaps the closest she got was standing between her 9 to 5 co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda at the 2017 Emmys, where they both dubbed Trump “a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot”. Parton didn’t join them but didn’t object either, explaining later (via Newsweek) “I don’t really like getting up on TV and saying political things.” “She was everything he isn’t” However, though she refused to endorse either Democrats or Republicans, she was vocal about her support for LGBTQ+ causes, coming out in support of same-sex marriage in 2009, and being a vocal supporter of the trans community. In 2023, she reacted to her home state of Tennessee passing anti-trans legislation into law, saying (via the Hollywood Reporter): “I know how important this is to them. That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me. If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are,” and added “I just want everybody to be treated good.” Trump on Dolly Parton: "She really liked me, I will tell you" pic.twitter.com/Ha39wOXnlo— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 26, 2026 All of which means it’s unclear how Trump arrived at the conclusion that Parton was one of his fans. The two don’t appear to have ever met face-to-face, with Parton twice declining Trump’s offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a White House ceremony. She emphasized even then this wasn’t a political statement, saying other factors meant she couldn’t receive the award and later refusing to accept the same award from Joe Biden. Comments are, to say the least, skeptical that Parton “liked” Trump. One says, “She was everything he isn’t: joyful, generous, empathetic, talented, pretty, funny, and kind. There is zero chance she would have liked him at all,” and another added, “She literally stands for everything maga is against and represents. I doubt she liked him or any maga nut job.” But, with Parton having sadly passed, she’s not around to confirm whether or not she “liked” Donald Trump.