President Trump shared his personal playlist with reporters on Air Force One, telling the journalists that he wanted to make them “happy.”
The surreal moment took place just before 10 p.m. on Sunday, after officials working with the president asked members of the press if they wanted to hear songs chosen by Trump while he worked.
According to a journalist with The Telegraph, reporters were treated to the late Dolly Parton’s smash hit Jolene, ABBA’s legendary love song Fernando, Luciano Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma, Baba O’Riley by The Who and even the Undertaker’s WWE entrance music.
open image in galleryEventually, Trump ventured down the presidential jet’s press cabin to ask members of the press about the music.
“I want to make sure everyone is okay with the music, right?” Trump asked.
“We loved it, Mr President,” someone replied.
“Are you okay? I’m only back here… I gave you a press conference before we got on. The music’s great, right?” the president said.
Upon being asked if he chose the songs himself, Trump said: “Yes, I picked myself. I want to make you happy, so I’m playing wonderful music, happy music.”
open image in galleryAccording to a White House press pool report, the songs had been played through a large speaker and were featured on a playlist entitled: “APPROVED RALLY PLAYLIST.”
Other songs featured on the playlist included Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me, Wild World by Cat Stevens, Losing My Religion by REM and November Rain by Guns N’ Roses.
Speaking to reporters, Trump mused on Parton’s recent death and his own thoughts on music.
“Dolly was the greatest,” he said. “That was a sad moment when Dolly left us. We have a lot of Dolly songs on there.”
Trump added, “I love music; I love good music. That’s what keeps me happy. My life..it’s a very interesting thing, but I love music.
open image in gallerySeveral of the artists on Trump’s playlist have denounced the use of their songs by the 47th president.
Following an August 2024 event in which Trump’s campaign played Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Money, Money, Money, ABBA demanded that his team stop using their music.
“Together with the members of Abba, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba’s music/videos has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately taken down and removed,” a spokesperson for Universal Music told The Guardian.
open image in galleryThe family of late opera star Luciano Pavarotti also protested the use of the tenor’s Nessun Dorma by Trump’s campaign in 2016.
Nicoletta Mantovani Pavarotti, the singer’s widow, and his three daughters told The New York Times that “the values of brotherhood and solidarity which Luciano Pavarotti expressed throughout the course of his artistic career are entirely incompatible with the worldview offered by the candidate Donald Trump.”
Trump is infamous for playing his favorite songs at his rallies, but sources told Axios in 2024 that the now-president is also nicknamed “DJ T” by regulars at his Mar-a-Lago resort due to his tight control over the music played at the luxurious club’s dining patio.
Reportedly, Trump alone controls the volume of the music as he plays a range of songs, including hits from Broadway musicals, such as Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera.