President Donald Trump gave reporters on board Air Force One a listen to the tunes on his playlist.
Headlining it is Dolly Parton's hit "Jolene," originally released on Oct. 15, 1973, as the lead single from Parton's 13th studio album of the same name.
Several reporters – including The Telegraph's chief Washington correspondent Connor Stringer and Reuters White House correspondent Bo Erickson – in separate Sept. 13 posts on X, shared that as the plane was flying "somewhere over the Atlantic," two officials came back to the press cabin with a "message from the president – did we want to listen to his playlist while he worked?"
When the group obliged, Erickson said a black Bluetooth speaker was brought to the press cabin, and the "'Approved Rally
Playlist' started." Songs on the playlist, according to Stringer and Erickson, included:
- "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
- The Undertaker’s WWE entrance music
- "Baba O'Riley" by The Who
- "Nessun Dorma" by Luciano Pavarotti
- "Fernando" by ABBA
Trump offered the peek into his playlist as he was returning from Ireland where he attended the Irish Open golf tournament at his family's course in Doonbeg over the weekend. During his 48-hour trip, the president also met Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin and announced his administration plans to remove a U.S. tariff on Irish whiskey, after he said he received multiple requests to lift the tariff, including from professional golfers and Martin.
'I love good music'
Later, Trump himself came to the press cabin to get the reporters' feedback on his music.
"I just wanted to make sure everyone is OK with the music," Trump said to reporters in a video posted by the White House's Rapid Response X account.
"I want to make you all happy so I'm playing wonderful music. Happy music," Trump said. "I love music. I love good music. That's what keeps me happy. Because with my life ... it's a very interesting thing, but I love music."
The president said his playlist includes "a lot of Dolly songs."
"Dolly was the greatest, wasn't she?" Trump said. "That was a sad moment when Dolly left us."
The country music legend died on Aug. 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Shortly after Parton's death was announced, Trump offered condolences and ordered flags to be lowered in her honor.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he loves 'good music.' Here's what's on his playlist
