After criticizing politicians on her latest single, “World on Fire,” the country music icon revealed her thoughts about running for president in a new interview with Metro. She announced that she is not interested in running for president.
Dolly Parton, 77, told the outlet,
“No. I don’t think anybody could actually do a great job at that. I think we’ve had enough ‘boobs’ in the White House,” she explained, I would have no interest in politics. I try to do my thing through my songs, through the way I accept people and the way I try to make a difference,”
Parton revealed the reasons behind her belief that she is not a suitable candidate to hold the presidency. “I’m not smart enough to be in politics, or maybe I’m too smart. Either way, I’m not qualified for that type of a job, but I’m pretty qualified to do what I do, which is to point people in the right direction, to write about it in songs or speak about things.”
Despite her well-known rule to avoid talking politics, the musician changed her attitude after releasing the song earlier this year.
“Don’t get me started on politics / Now how are we to live in a world like this / Greedy politicians, present and past / They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ’em in the ass,” she sings. In a May interview with The Today Show, she further supported her view by saying that she doesn’t think “any of them [in government] are trying hard enough… They worry more about their party than they do about the people.”
In addition, she is well-known for having rejected the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice while Donald Trump was president. Earlier this year, she turned down the same invitation from Joe Biden, the current president, once again.
Parton has unquestionably had a huge impact on the globe through her singing, philanthropy, and other endeavors without ever holding an official position of leadership. “I like to think all of it has been important,” said the star of her other work in the Metro interview. “But my favorite thing that I do is my Imagination Library that I started back in 1995 with my dad, who couldn’t read and write.”
The 9 to 5 star has helped children in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland learn to read through the charity, which is part of her Dollywood Foundation. “It’s a literacy program where we give books to children from the time they’re born until they start school — once a month, they get a book in the mail,” said Parton. “It can pull families together, as well as helping a child get a head start. We’ve given away more than 200 million books to date — I’m really proud of that.”
Parton also mentioned in a recent interview with Metro how, because of her persona, she had been disregarded as a songwriter in the past. “Especially in the early days, people were trying to change me. But I think everybody has to feel comfortable in how they look. I knew that if I was as good as I hoped and believed that I was, my talent would win out over my looks,” she said.
“I hardly ever listened to anybody if it went against what I believed about myself or what my true beliefs are. I hear them but I don’t listen. I’m not an educated person – I just got a High School education. But I know what’s right for me. I know how to handle my stuff.”
On November 15, Dolly Parton’s new rock album will have a special “first listen event” in theaters, marking the official beginning of her Rockstar era.
