The people have been clamoring for Dolly Parton to get a medal. After her philanthropic donations helped fund some of the medical research that led to the eventual development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the internet exploded with appreciation for the country icon, and calls for her to be recognized by her country. Well, apparently, former President Trump was trying to do just that. On an appearance on The Today Show, Dolly revealed that she’d been offered The Presidential Medal Of Freedom not once but twice — but she turned it done. Not because of any partisanship, but simply because she wasn’t willing to risk her husband’s health and the associated risks of traveling during the pandemic.
“I couldn’t accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn’t travel because of the COVID,” she told Today. And since she didn’t take it before, she’s now worried that if she does accept it under President Biden — and apparently he has already reached out — that her deferral will be taken as a political statement. “Now I feel like if I take it, I’ll be doing politics, so I’m not sure,” Dolly said. “But 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.”
Dolly, if you’re reading this, two things: One, you absolutely deserve it. Two, take the medal under Biden. Have you ever watched the speech he gave when President Obama surprised him with the same award? There won’t be a dry eye in the place. Oh and finally, President Obama has also kicked himself for not just giving Dolly the medal when he was in office. Hopefully that’s another part of his legacy Biden can carry forward.
