US President Donald Trump made an unexpected tour of Graceland, the famous home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley in Memphis, in a quick break from his official schedule dedicated to promoting a security campaign in the city.
During the visit, Trump made a series of controversial statements and funny positions that reflected his constant interest in his image compared to American cultural icons.
According to the New York Times, the tour began with Trump expressing his great admiration for Presley, noting that he awarded the late artist the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his first term, stressing that “everyone loves Elvis.”
In a bizarre twist, the 79-year-old asked if he could defeat Elvis Presley in a “fist fight?” After learning that the late singer was good at karate, a palace employee responded diplomatically, saying that Elvis would have respected the president enough to let him win.
The visit was not without veiled political messages, as Trump used a golden “Sharpie” pen to sign a replica of one of Presley’s guitars, after carefully testing it on an external piece of paper to ensure its quality and not damaging the instrument. He took advantage of the moment to mock his predecessor Biden, pointing out that the latter would not have been able to do this manually, in reference to his previous criticism of the use of the “automatic pen” in official signatures.
The American President expressed his regret that he did not meet Presley personally despite knowing most of the stars of that era, such as Frank Sinatra, noting that he sometimes felt the desire to make up a white lie to say that he knew “The King” well.
