American icon Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton died last week at age 80, after a brief battle with cancer. She was known for her philanthropy in addition to her music and acting. For decades, as one example, she quietly ran a program that mailed free books to children from birth to kindergarten, delivering more than 332 million books.

Her humility showed up in both smaller and larger moments. Parton once entered a Dolly Parton look-alike contest just for fun, without telling anyone who she really was. She piled on extra makeup and bigger hair, and lost to a contestant who judges thought did a better impression of her. And then, when nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dolly only reluctantly accepted, stating, “I just didn’t think that I had done enough in the rock world to be considered… when there were so many great rock artists that are not even in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Contrast this with Donald Trump. Despite persistent inflation that is a major issue for voters, Trump repeatedly makes wildly false statements like “the economy’s the greatest economy we’ve ever had by far.” Modesty has never been part of his personality.

Likewise, Trump has drenched the Oval Office in gold trim and gold-plated ornaments, calls this tacky makeover the”best ever” and claims that “foreign leaders freak out when the see the quality and beauty.” Trump also wants to build a 250-foot gold-topped “triumphal arch” in DC, and got his hand-picked National Capital Planning Commission to give it preliminary approval. When asked by a reporter who the monument was for, Trump replied: “Me.”