RIP Dolly Parton – musical legend and philanthropist, bona fide glamour puss and uniter of America. But while her death was announced last night – aged 80, surrounded by family in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer – Parton’s America predeceased her by several years, killed off by the man in the White House.
Donald Trump might have been Parton’s direct contemporary (both were born in 1946), but there could hardly have been more distance between the versions of the USA they stood for. Parton was renowned for bringing people together – not only has her music always crossed demographic lines, but her charitable projects encompassed everything from child literacy in Rotherham to supporting American bald eagles and hurricane relief initiatives to the Salvation Army. She was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022.
By contrast, Trump’s record is almost farcical. Between axing abortion rights and his brutal immigration policies, rolling back trans rights and diversity initiatives, the US President has systematically dismantled every provision his country ever made for anyone other than straight white men, all while hampering trade with his tariffs, plus fanning the flames of war across the planet.
