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Is Dolly Parton a hero for refusing Trump's medal of freedom twice? Internet says 'it had nothing to do with him'

Tweets and comments started trending as the Internet thought Parton was one of the many celebrities who refused to associate with Trump 

Country superstar Dolly Parton had refused to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice. Both times, it was former President Donald Trump who tried to present her with the nation's highest civilian honour, but Parton refused. The songbird has since been trending on social media for allegedly snubbing the honor and Trump by refusing to accept the prize. But does that make her a "hero" as many would like to call her? 

Parton explained why she couldn't accept the prize. "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." when asked if she will accept it if President Joe Biden offers her the award, Parton said she can't be sure. "Now I feel like if I take it, I'll be doing politics, so I'm not sure."

"But I don't work for those awards," she continued. "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." Ever since that interview aired, Parton has taken social media by storm. Hundreds of her fans are praising her for snubbing Donald Trump and refusing the honor. Tweets and comments started trending as the Internet thought Parton was one of the many celebrities who refused to associate with Trump.

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But the truth is far from that. In a tweet, one user explained, "No. This is bullshit. One of Dolly Parton's greatest phobias is being associated with any politics in any shape. Trump tried to break her rule for his own selfish reasons, and she demurred. I can only hope Biden respects her wishes in a way his predecessor couldn't."

There are many who have deemed her a 'hero', but does refusing the President Medal of Freedom twice really make Dolly Parton a hero? Especially since it is not like the 'Jolene' singer was trying to make a statement. "Everyone's acting like Dolly Parton did something special because she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump -- it didn't have anything to do with Trump..." one pointed out.

Parton could be deemed a "hero" for her contribution to music and philanthropy; probably not for this. "Badass? I LOVE Dolly, but her reasons were not in objection to Trump... She says, "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 explained." There's nothing heroic here. But Dolly IS a HERO!" Another user added, "People are praising Dolly Parton for not meeting with Trump but... her reasons indicate she passed due to schedule conflicts, nothing mentioned about her opposing Trump. If she cant openly admit to despising the man, she's no hero. Her cover of "Stairway" is also abysmal."

Some users pointed to the fact that Parton is far less concerned with making political statements — all she cares about is her heart, just like she told in the interview with Today. "dolly parton is an absolute master of steering clear. anything that could get between her and her fan base, she avoids. And her fan base includes trump lovers and trump haters and biden fans and biden deniers," the user tweeted.