Why are Dolly Parton fans lashing out at Donald Trump?

Fans the world over are mourning the loss of country music legend Dolly Parton, but one person’s tribute is rubbing them up the wrong way...

Following the news of Parton’s death, tributes poured in from public figures and celebrities, with many remembering the beloved icon as a “true legend” and an “irreplaceable” talent. Many noticed that Parton had admiration and support across the polarised US political spectrum, making her one of the rare people most Americans could agree on.

Her admirers praised not only her musical legacy but also her philanthropy, as Parton notably played a key role in funding the research that aided the development of one major COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna), donating $1 million of her own money to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

She also set up the non-profit organisation The Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – a literacy initiative which has gifted more than 330 million books to children since 1995.

One public figure who paid his respects was Donald Trump, who ordered flags to be lowered at half-mast to honour the artist, and wrote on Truth Social: “This is a true loss for millions of people. 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.”

This tribute was initially met with applause, with even Trump’s harshest critics commending him for the gesture.

However, it didn’t take long for certain fans to point out one major snag: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has been defunded by the Trump administration.

One X user called out Trump by commenting “like his administration hasn’t been trying to actively destroy American Education and undo so much of her life's work.”

Other accounts joined in to mention the fact that Republicans recently defunded her Imagination Library.

“Republicans defunded her childhood reading program this year,” one post read, while another pointed out: “2022: Dolly Parton donates $1 million to fund pediatric infectious disease research. 2025: Donald Trump cuts $12 million in grants for pediatric medical research.”

Indeed, the Republican-run state of Missouri has defunded the Imagination Library, with a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education telling The Independent in June that the literacy initiative won’t have funding to accept new enrolments.

“Unfortunately, the State has not fulfilled its commitment to sustain full funding for the programme,” Michelle Anthony, regional director for Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, told the News Tribune.

Anthony also warned that the programme could continue operating only for about four more months using existing funds, after which children statewide could lose access to the monthly free books.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was inspired by her father’s inability to read or write. The programme sends one free book every month to children from birth to five - regardless of family income – in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and Ireland.

The Imagination Library has vowed to continue the singer’s work, saying her vision was always to build something that would “last for generations”.

It recalled how proud Parton was of the programme, particularly because of its connection to her father, quoting her as saying: “My Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done.”

In a statement, the organisation said: “The world grieves with us today. And yet we find ourselves just as certain about what comes next. For decades, Dolly & the team at The Dollywood Foundation – home of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library – worked to build something that would last for generations. So it will. The work ahead has never felt more meaningful, and we will carry it forward as she lifts us all up. Dolly, we will always love you.”

Parton’s family has requested that donations may be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com.