Trump Orders Flags to Fly at Half-Staff for One Week Honoring Dolly Parton

President Donald Trump has ordered American flags to fly at half-staff for one week in honor of Dolly Parton following her death at age 80. The country music legend passed away on Tuesday, August 25, and the president shared his tribute on Truth Social that same day.

“This is a true loss for millions of people,” Trump wrote. “There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one-week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you.”

The formal proclamation directed that flags be lowered at the White House, all public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations, and U.S. facilities abroad until sunset on September 1.

Tributes poured in from politicians across the aisle. Tennessee Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn both shared personal messages and photos with Parton, who was born in East Tennessee and later created Dollywood in the Great Smoky Mountains. Hagerty called her an entrepreneurial juggernaut who transformed the state through her music and philanthropy. Blackburn said her passing leaves a void no one can fill and added, “Dolly, we will always love you.”

Senator Bernie Sanders also paid respects, describing Parton as one of the great entertainers of the era whose music and humanity touched millions. He highlighted her lifelong work as a philanthropist and advocate for literacy, education, LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, and disaster relief.

Parton was widely known for steering clear of partisan politics. She declined the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice during Trump’s first term, citing her husband Carl Dean’s health, and later declined the same honor from President Biden. In 2023 she joked that the country had already had enough “boobs” in the White House and preferred to make a difference through her songs and the way she accepted people.

Just four days before her death she had told PEOPLE she was still healing from health issues but remaining determined to keep working on the many dreams she still wanted to achieve. Her Imagination Library and other literacy efforts drew special praise from lawmakers in the hours after the news broke.