The president Donald Trump took a trip to Elvis Presley‘s Graceland on Monday while I was in Memphis, TN, for a panel discussion about the city’s crime-fighting efforts.
It was only the second visit to attract the president, after that George W. Bush2008 appearance with the Japanese prime minister.
“I’m a big Elvis fan. Who doesn’t?” Trump said. The president revealed one of his favorite Elvis songs is “Hurt.”
“He’s got a bunch of them, they’re too small for me to like. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Graceland was temporarily closed so Trump – who said it was his first visit to Elvis’ home – could take a private tour.
During the tour, Trump checked out the military hat Presley had engraved his initials “EP” on; Presley’s gold-plated Social Security card; the last Grammy award Elvis won; and a gold-plated bedside telephone.
“I would like to hear some of those conversations,” he said.
The president also visited Elvis’ cave, called the “Jungle Room,” where he was informed that Elvis had a black belt in karate.
He asked, “She was really beautiful? Would I have taken her for a fight?”
Trump marveled at the carpet on the ceiling, which enhanced the sound as Elvis recorded there.
“He was ahead of his time — a rug from the roof,” Trump said.
When Trump took office in 2018, he posthumously presented Elvis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor.
Elvis’ music was often played at Trump campaigns, too.
Before leaving Graceland, Trump signed a guitar similar to the one Presley played during his 1973 “Aloha From Hawaii” concert.
History of Graceland
With the release of “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956, Presley climbed to the top of the charts and sold 10 million singles the following year. The following year, the star broke into the Memphis mansion that would become Graceland.
Set on 13.8 acres, the property became his home for the rest of his life.
Graceland was opened to the public in 1982 as a museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark.
Today, it is one of the most visited houses in the US The name of the street is now Elvis Presley Boulevard.
Fans can tour the building where Presley slept and view the Forest Room with its green shag carpet and Tiki decor, trophy room, and a wealth of memorabilia and clothing from the player’s personal and personal life.
Daughter of Lisa Marie Presley,Riley KeoughHe received the trust and ownership of the home after his mother’s death in January 2023.
The Graceland Scam
By 2025, Lisa Jeanine Findleya Missouri woman, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for trying to sell Graceland using a fake company and forged documents.
Findley’s elaborate scam involved impersonating a fictitious lender, forging loan documents, and publishing a bogus foreclosure notice.
The judge described Findley’s actions as a “wild scheme” and “very sophisticated,” according to WREG.
