Trump Visits Graceland, Expresses Admiration for Elvis Presley

President Donald Trump shared his longtime admiration for Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, while walking through the late singer’s Memphis estate, Graceland, on Monday.

Trump, accompanied by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other administration officials, stopped at key spots in the home.

In the kitchen, he examined Presley’s green military helmet, learned the singer’s natural hair color was blonde, and reacted with surprise.

“Really? I didn’t know. That’s great,” Trump said.

The estate’s archivist, Angie Marchese, who guided the presidential visit, noted that Presley owned the first microwave sold in Memphis, still on display in the estate’s kitchen. She told Trump that there was always a cook in the kitchen, ready to make something for Elvis whenever he wanted.

In the Jungle Room, with its animal-print decor and hand-carved furniture, Trump praised the design.

“He was way before his time, look, he put carpet on the ceiling,” the president said.

Trump signed a replica of Presley’s black guitar from a concert in Hawaii, calling it “a big honor” and practicing his signature first.

“You never know, these are hard to sign, but that came out pretty good,” he said.

Reporters asked for his favorite Elvis song.

“‘Hurt’ is great,” Trump said.

Trump traveled to Memphis to spotlight a drop in crime rates in the city, following his administration’s stepped-up federal law enforcement presence.

“Elvis would be very happy about that,” Trump said as the singer’s cover of “How Great Thou Art” played overhead.

The effort stems from a directive he signed on Sept. 15, 2025, titled “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis.” That order created the Memphis Safe Task Force and brought in the National Guard plus agents from more than a dozen federal agencies to support local police.

The push aims to tackle high crime rates that have plagued the city for years.

Officials, including Bondi, joined him, and he noted her family ties to Elvis fandom.

“You are a big fan of Elvis,” Trump said to Bondi. “My mother was, especially,” she replied.

Trump’s admiration for Elvis stretches far beyond the current trip.

Born in 1946, just 11 years after Presley in 1935, Trump has often noted the cultural overlap.

“All my life I have heard about Graceland,” Trump told his guides. “I was around with Elvis in his semi-prime, at least, right?”

He never met the singer, who died in 1977 at age 42.

“I knew Frank Sinatra, I knew most of them,” Trump said while touring Presley’s estate. “Unfortunately, I never met Elvis. That would be one that I would have liked a lot. I do like his music.”

During his first term, Trump awarded Presley a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Elvis Presley Enterprises executive Joel Weinshanker told the press during the presidential tour that Trump is the second-acting president to visit Graceland. In 2006, George W. Bush visited with then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.