Return to Transcripts main page

Inside Politics

Remembering Dolly Parton: Country Music Icon, Philanthropist; World Mourns Country Music Legend Dolly Parton; Trump: Losing Dolly Parton Is Like Losing "A Member Of The Family"; Trump-Backed Darline Graham Wins S.C. GOP Senate Primary. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired August 26, 2026 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00]

CHIEF TIM BAKER, WALDENS CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT: Just be -- be good to your fellow man and treat them as you would want to be treated. And I think she honored that through her and her entire life to take care and -- take care of her fellow man.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CO-ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: So important, guys. What a wonderful woman indeed. Tim Baker, thanks so much for your thoughts. Appreciate it very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning, 10 am Eastern for two hours weekdays.

Inside Politics with Dana Bash is coming up next. But first, my deepest condolences to the Dolly Parton family. As we say, may she rest in peace, and may her memory be a blessing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOLLY PARTON, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER AND ACTRESS: I always believe that if you wanted your dreams to come true, and you are lucky enough to have that happen, then you got to be responsible because every -- you got to keep the dream alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Welcome to Inside Politics. Today we remember a legend who lived outside politics. Someone who crossed the political divide in an almost divine way. Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, businesswoman, and global icon died at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer. Simply put, there will never be another like Dolly Parton. Her music spanned generations, global borders, race, religion, socio-economic status.

(PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: That song "9 to 5" became a feminist anthem with words that still resonate today for so many women. There is almost no corner of the planet where her light did not shine. Makeshift memorials sprung up from coast to coast in America. At 9:25 last night, the Empire State Building lit up bright, glittering pink in her honor. The royal family posted the royal guard covering one of Dolly Parton's most popular songs. (PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: Presidents of all political stripes shared their love for Dolly Parton. Former President George W. Bush posted this picture from the Kennedy Center Honors. Barack Obama said it's hard to imagine many people having a bigger impact than Dolly Parton. President Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for a week in her honor.

Perhaps her largest legacy may be introducing millions of children to the joy of reading. Her imagination library provided over 300 million kids free books once a month, starting when they were born. She started the program in honor of her father, who could not read or write.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARTON: All the little letters I get, letters from the parents and the things that all the kids have to say. We have kids that are in college now, or kids that are married and have little kids of their own now. It's really amazing to, you know, to get a letter from somebody like that, and to say, you know, what it has meant to them and what it's meaning to their little bitty kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: But it was her writing more than 3,000 songs, and that angelic, one-of-a-kind voice that fills our hearts. She was tireless until the end. And I want to bring in a very special guest to talk about Dolly Parton's legacy. Diane Warren is a legendary songwriter in her own right, big time. You know her music from major Billboard hits: Cher, Aerosmith, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Beyonce, and so many more.

Diane, I'm so honored to have you here on Inside Politics to remember your friend Dolly Parton. And I want to start with something that you wrote for her, which must have been a thrill, and it is called "Gonna Be You", and the song featured Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan. Let's listen to a little bit more of it.

(PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: What was it like working with her? Diane Warren, can you hear me?

DIANE WARREN, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER: I hear you. Yeah.

BASH: What was it like working with Dolly Parton?

WARREN: It was -- I mean, the fact that Dolly Parton did a song I wrote when, trust me, she didn't need anybody else's songs. She was one of the best songwriters, and that's ever lived, and wrote the best songs that anyone will ever write. Yeah, that "Gonna Be You" was a song I did for this movie "80 for Brady" and the idea was to put together all these iconic artists, but the number one artist was Dolly, and no one said no to Dolly.

[12:05:00] As soon as Dolly said she was going to do it, it's like yep, yep, yep, you know. So, it's an honor and what a huge -- what a huge loss for not only the world of music but for the world. What a bright light and beautiful, kind. I didn't realize. A friend of mine sent me a quote that she said about animals that, you know, that we have to treat every life, you know, every life matters, including animals.

I can't remember the exact quote, but I mean, just it makes you love her even more. Like if it's possible to love her even more. I mean, no one didn't -- there's no one who didn't love Dolly Parton. No matter who you were or what you thought or your politics doesn't matter. We all loved her.

BASH: And because she was such a well-known, and you said the best songwriter ever, as somebody who's right up there, did she have notes? Did she have notes when you gave her the song, or what was that? Was it a collaboration?

WARREN: No.

BASH: Wow.

WARREN: No, she just -- she loved it. She just -- she didn't have any notes. She didn't say, I want -- you know, some of these artists go. I want to change it and this and that and, you know, somebody like Dolly, you know, who do you maybe expect that to. You know, it didn't change anything. And just -- I remember just hearing her sing it. It was like, are you kidding me. This is Dolly Parton singing my song. What? Again, she didn't need anybody to write songs for her, you know, and she wrote these songs, these great songs, by herself, you know, don't forget that.

BASH: Yeah, exactly. And she wrote, as I mentioned, more than 3,000, and she reportedly wrote Jolene and I will always love you on the very same day. Can you talk about her influence?

WARREN: That's a really good day.

BASH: Yeah.

WARREN: That's a really good day. If that, I would say it's really good day.

BASH: I would say so. What kind of influence did she have on other songwriters?

WARREN: I mean, just you know, just timeless. I mean, there's no better song ever written than "I Will Always Love You," right? So, if you -- if you're going to look at the all-time great song. So, whether it's that song or Jolene or I mean, so many, so many great songs that she wrote, and of course they influenced everybody.

I remember first hearing her version of "I Will Always Love You," you know, when I was a kid, and going, oh my God, like that song, it just, you know, it just make you -- it just makes the -- makes your heart stop, you know, I was just hearing that how beautiful it is. And then -- and I remember, you know, the story where Elvis Presley was going to record it, and you know, Colonel Parker's manager insisted on owning publishing, and she -- because she was actually a really good businesswoman too, obviously, and she said no. And can you imagine saying no when Elvis Presley, the biggest star in the world, wanted to record your song, but then Whitney did it, you know, and then it worked out. It all worked out.

BASH: Yeah. It worked out, OK. I was watching a clip from her where she said that Priscilla Presley told her that when they were leaving the wedding chapel, Elvis was singing "I Will Always Love You" to Priscilla, just the two of them. I mean, how great is that.

WARREN: Wow!

BASH: I know. I want -- I want to ask you about her.

WARREN: That's the power of a great song.

BASH: Right, I know.

WARREN: That's the power of a great song.

BASH: I know. Well, you would know Diane Warren. I want to ask about her as a -- as a feminist icon and leader. I mentioned "9 to 5," which is definitely still an anthem for women. I don't know if you can see me, but I kind of made this. I'm holding a cup of ambition.

WARREN: I can't see you.

BASH: It's OK. I'll tell you. I'm holding a cup of ambition, which I made this morning, which I bedazzled because I feel like all women should have a cup of ambition, at least two.

WARREN: Yeah, right.

BASH: She -- it was such a trailblazer for women.

WARREN: That's a great line.

BASH: Yeah.

WARREN: Can I just say one thing? That's a great line. What a great line in a song, you know, pour myself a cup of ambition. How cool is that? That's, you know, like that's why she's a great songwriter. I saw that -- I was watching something today and I saw a quote. She said, she goes, yeah, I look like a woman, but I think like a man, you know, so nothing held her back. It wasn't being a woman. It wasn't. She didn't get the memo that because I'm a woman, I can't do it, you know, she just did it. She just went out and did it.

BASH: It's so true. And you know, because she lived and she came up in the times that she did in the 60s and 70s, she leaned into her feminism. I mean, why wouldn't she? She was -- she was beautiful, but that definitely kind of, almost I think probably took people off guard because -- caught people off guard because she was so smart and so ambitious and so astute at the -- [12:10:00]

WARREN: She caught him off. Yeah, she caught him off guard.

BASH: Yeah.

WARREN: She caught him off guard, you know, like they didn't expect that. They thought, you know -- and you know, so she just, you know, she was so smart and just everything she did. I saw something else she said that they told her to change her image, but she goes, I'm not changing. I'm going to -- I'm going to make a fortune out of it, you know, I mean, that's Dolly, right, so smart. So smart, and so kind, and so brilliant, and so positive, and the world is a lot darker without her.

BASH: Yeah. I could not agree more. Diane Warren, I'm so grateful that you came on and shared your memories and just your thoughts about this legend, and I appreciate it. And we're sorry for your loss.

WARREN: Yeah, for all of our loss. It's everybody's loss. Thank you.

BASH: Yeah, it sure is. It sure is. And up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARTON: My daddy was a Republican, my mom was a Democrat, and I'm a hypocrite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: How Dolly Parton avoided politics but made her own values very clear.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Dolly Parton wrote one of the greatest feminist political anthems of all time.

(PLAYING VIDEO)

BASH: Her superpower, though, was uniting fans on both sides of the aisle and on every side of nearly every political issue. She was one of one when it came to bringing Americans together, regardless of who they voted for. I'm joined by a terrific group of reporters here and Dolly Parton fans, starting with I think the biggest Dolly Parton fan I know, David Chalian.

DAVID CHALIAN, POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: I don't know if I'm the biggest Dolly Parton fan.

BASH: I mean, you're a pretty big.

CHALIAN: But I'm a pretty big fan.

BASH: You are a pretty big fan. Your thoughts?

CHALIAN: I mean, first of all, she was such a huge part of the fabric of my childhood. I mean, like, you played "9 to 5," Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. These are movies my sister and I would watch over and over and over again. And so, she was a storyteller in the fabric of my growing up.

But your point about the politics of Dolly, Dolly ticks, if you will. You know, before Michael Jordan understood that, you know, Republicans and Democrats both bought sneakers and he didn't want to wear, she just -- I think it's part of your previous conversation with Diane Warren, like her savvy as a businesswoman, I think is what drove her to understand that there was no percentage in it for her to get involved in partisan politics because she could live on this elevated plane with all of her fans, about sort of just like human nature and a value system that rose above whatever the political debate of the day was.

BASH: Yeah, that's so well said. Just to give an example, let's listen to what President Trump said this morning about Dolly Parton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (voiceover): To lose her, it's like you lose a member of the family. You know, we all knew her so well. I knew her a little bit. She wasn't a very political person. She really liked me. I will tell you. But she also wanted to stay very, you know, she was of the opinion, you know, the 50 percent, who needs to lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And this is a statement we'll put up on the screen from the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America, saying that she was a hero of the working class and an inspiration to all. I mean, Meg Kinnard, I know you grew up in her home state of Tennessee.

MEG KINNARD, REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: I did.

BASH: Just the idea of these two diametrically opposed entities, people saying virtually the same thing.

KINNARD: It's just kind of astounding. Yeah, when we have these moments where you see just across the political spectrum on the absolute opposite ends, something being the unifier. And of course, as a seventh-generation Tennessean and a huge Dolly fan, like I know we all are, I'm really sad that this is the reason. But it's -- at least as a human being, good to know that there are those moments where it kind of does bring everybody together in some way.

But you know, to see the president bringing the flags down at the White House for a week, which is not something that we see for non- political people very often, super rare to see that, and then also from the DSA and other groups, former presidents all across the spectrum. It just kind of shows not just in music, but in her humanitarian efforts and everything else that Dolly Parton was doing in her life. How appreciated that was by all kinds of people.

BASH: I want to play a moment from the 2017 Emmys. You probably remember in 2017, what was happening in the country? It was the year that Donald Trump first was inaugurated as president. She came out with her co-stars from "9 to 5," Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE FONDA, ACTOR: In that movie, we refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

LILY TOMLIN, ACTOR: Really. And in 2017, we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:20:00]

BASH: Adam, she did not look very comfortable.

ADAM CANCRYN, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No, no, she didn't, and I mean, this was not. This is not kind of -- it was not in her kind of nature to be part to get into parts and politics, and you know, what you ended up kind of seeing there as they got more into that presentation is she really tried to make a comedic bit of it.

BASH: Right.

CANCRYN: And was able to kind of win over the crowd. One of the things that has stuck out to me though is it's not as if we didn't know what Dolly Parton's values were. It's just that she didn't feel the need to slot them into, well, here are my values, and therefore only certain people can agree with them. There were principles of warmth and kindness, and you know, acceptance that she was able to model in a way that, you know, people from all kind of walks of life could pick parts of that and say, hey, I identify here. I identify there. So, that's a rare power.

BASH: Acceptance, I think, is a good word just on the whole bathroom debate. You remember back about a decade ago when it really took hold. She said, I hope everyone gets the chance to be who they are. I just know if I have to pee, I'm going to pee. I don't care where it's going to be. And going back to what you said about her politics and how she kind of tried to stay away from it and how intentional she was about that. Listen to what she said. This is in an interview on a podcast, Dolly politics, which I know you listen to from November 12, 2019.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARTON (voiceover): I don't do politics. I have too many fans on both sides of the fence. Of course, I have my opinion about everything, but I learned years ago to keep your mouth shut about things. I wanted to say, let's pray for the president. Why don't we pray for the president? If we're having all these problems, let's just, you know, why don't we just pray for Mr. President? You know, it's like, I wanted to say that, but I thought no, keep your damn mouth shut. That won't work either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHALIAN: If you have not listened to this podcast, Dolly Parton's America, it's from seven years ago. I urge everyone to listen to it because while I was such a fan before, it was like revelatory and really, really interesting. And you know, it's not that. Listen, she was pro vaccine. It's not like she didn't get involved in some of the cultural touch points that we experience in our politics.

She obviously was very pro-gay rights, but she did even with those positions. She didn't inflame the culture war aspect over it. She just kind of lived her values, and it allowed her fans who may have a different point of view to not feel alienated by that and still be able to be supportive of their fandom for her.

BASH: All right. When we come back, we go back to Inside Politics. President Trump got a much needed win, a couple of them last night. But is it enough to offset growing anger among all parties about how they feel about the economy? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DARLINE GRAHAM (R-SC): Mr. President, Lindsey truly loved you and viewed you as one of his closest friends. Our victory would not have been possible without you and we are truly grateful. South Carolina is truly Trump country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: South Carolina Republicans chose Darline Graham as their Senate nominee to serve a full six-year term. It's a big win for the president who poured time and money into getting the political novice over the finish line. She will run against Democrat and pediatrician Annie Andrews.

Meg, you cover politics, South Carolina politics in particular. What are your takeaways from last night?

KINNARD: Yeah. I was there last night for Darline Graham's election results watch party, and the vibes at the beginning were a little off because there had been all this social media noise about Ralph Norman making this last-minute surge, and was he going to actually supplant her for this nomination, and obviously, we see what the results bore out. But I think one of my biggest takeaways from Darline Graham's victory in all of this is South Carolina voters have gotten to know her a little bit better over the course of this special primary and ensuing runoff, but they still don't know exactly what a lot of her positions are. Clearly, she came into this as a complete political newcomer, Lindsey Graham's sister, but not anybody who'd ever run for office herself.

And even when we as reporters pressed her on the closing day of the campaign, you talk a lot about affordability, but legislatively, what does that really mean? She just kind of said, well, we'll see when I get to the Senate. And so, yes, she has the nomination. Guess South Carolina traditionally elects Republicans statewide in recent decades, so she's certainly favored in November, but there's still a lot of question marks. I think as to exactly aside from strong support for and from President Trump, where she is on a lot of issues important to voters.

BASH: Yeah, I mean, Annie Andrews, I think in any other state, if she were in more of a swing state, might be somebody who people would be already talking a lot about because she is pediatrician and is leading it to healthcare and all the affordability issues. But that is the question of whether, in fact, you and I talked about this before whether or not it is still Trumpistan, as Lindsey Graham used to call it.

KINNARD: Absolutely.

BASH: I mean, at least in the Republican primary, the answer is yes. Let's see about the general.

CANCRYN: Yeah. No, absolutely. I mean, and what this means, I think, nationally is that it's yet another state where Republicans may have to spend maybe more than they anticipated, more than they originally planned to. And when you're talking about having to defend all of these other districts trying to keep the Senate, some of these races in, you know, Georgia and North Carolina that don't seem to be trending super well for Republicans. It just adds another kind of target and now you have to kind of spread out the map.

So, it'll be interesting to see. I think as we get into the general how quickly and how enthusiastically