Donald Trump's years-long fascination with Elvis Presley explained on 49th death anniversary
Donald Trump's years-long fascination with Elvis Presley explained on 49th death anniversary
Averee NelsonSat, August 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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Donald Trump has made it known that he is a fan of music legend Elvis Presley over the years -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
As fans remember the day that music legend Elvis Presley’s death shocked the world on August 16, 1977, President Donald Trump may be one of the admirers to commemorate the 49-year anniversary of his passing.
While Donald Trump has met the world’s leaders and high-profile socialites and celebrities, he has made it known that he sadly never got to meet Presley, despite growing up as the musician became a global sensation.
From playing Presley’s music on the campaign trail to visiting Presley's estate, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, amid the war in Iran in March 2026, it’s safe to say that the president is a fan of the Heartbreak Hotel hitmaker. This comes after Donald Trump posted a bizarre AI photo of himself as Elvis in a social media meltdown.
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Here’s everything you about Trump’s years-long fascination with Presley as fans commemorate the anniversary of the rock star’s death:
Donald Trump visited Elvis Presley’s Graceland during the Iran war
Trump called himself a “big fan of Elvis" during his tour of Graceland -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
Trump took a surprise detour to Elvis Presley's Graceland museum in March 2026, shortly after launching strikes against Iran at the end of February, which began the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The president was taken on a tour of the King of Rock and Roll’s famed estate, where he said, “I knew Frank Sinatra, I knew most of them.”
"Unfortunately, I never met Elvis. That would be one that I would have liked a lot. I do like his music,” Trump said.
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At one point during the tour, he called himself a “big fan of Elvis,” as he marveled at the memorabilia. Trump awarded Presley a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom during his first term as president.
Donald Trump has compared his popularity to Elvis Presley
Trump suggested he brings in “much larger audiences” than Elvis Presley -Credit:Michael Ochs Archives
At a time when Trump’s approval ratings have soured, most recently hitting a record low of 33% of Americans approving of his performance, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll, the president suggested he garnered “much larger audiences” than Presley in a May 2026 Truth Social post.
In the post, Trump criticized the performers who dropped out of his Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary of independence.
In a seemingly nod to his popularity compared to the music legend, Trump wrote, “So I am thinking about bringing the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World, the man who gets much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime, and he does so without a guitar, the man who loves our Country more than anyone else, and the man who some say is the Greatest President in History (THE GOAT!), DONALD J. TRUMP, to take the place of these highly paid, Third Rate 'Artists,' and give a major speech, rallying the Country forward like I have done ever since being President!”
Donald Trump suggested he resembles Elvis Presley
At a 2018 rally in Tupelo, Mississippi — the birthplace of Presley — Trump claimed that people said he looked like Presley when he was younger.
“I shouldn’t say this, you’ll say I’m very conceited, because I’m not, but other than the blonde hair, when I was growing up they said I looked like Elvis,” Trump said at the time. “Can you believe it? I always considered that a great compliment.”
If you can't view the post above, click here.
More recently, Trump posted a bizarre AI-generated photo on Truth Social of himself wearing Presley’s skin-tight American Eagle jumpsuit, which features a deep collared V-neck to display his chest.
Trump didn’t include a caption on the post, offering no explanation for why he was posting an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Presley.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
