Trump makes bizarre admission about Elvis Presley as he visits Graceland

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER 18:11 23 Mar 2026, updated 23:44 23 Mar 2026

President Donald Trump said he 'loves' Elvis Presley and joked he considered lying about meeting the 'King of Rock and Roll' personally, despite the pair never having crossed paths. 

Speaking in Memphis, Tennessee, to a group of law enforcement officers and National Guard troops, the President lauded the Memphis Safe Task Force for bringing down crime. 

During the remarks, the President shared that he would later visit Graceland, the estate of the late rock and roll star that is just a short drive from downtown Memphis. 

'I'm going to see Graceland after this,' Trump said. 'I love Elvis. I never met Elvis. Everyone said, 'Did you?' 

'I met [Frank] Sinatra. I knew all of them. I never met Elvis. Sometimes I feel I should tell little fibs that I knew him,' Trump continued. 

Shortly after his remarks to the task force, Trump toured Graceland with a small cohort of staff and tour guides. Some of the workers asked the President to sign a replica of a guitar Elvis used in 1973, which Trump called a 'great honor.'

'I've never been here before, this is my first time, I'm a big fan of Elvis! Who isn't?' Trump said while touring the home.  

The President has played the 'King's' music at his rallies and expressed a fond admiration for the rock star born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Trump has even noted how people have told him he looks like Elvis. 

'Other than the blonde hair, when I was growing up they said I looked like Elvis… great compliment,' Trump said at a 2018 event in Tupelo. 

That same year, after awarding Elvis the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, the President said he once attended one of the rock and roller's concerts. 

Later in 2024, Trump posted a picture of his face split with Presley's, writing: 'For so many years people have been saying that Elvis and I look alike. Now this pic has been going all over the place. What do you think?'

Trump campaign events have typically featured some of Presley's most iconic songs, including 'Suspicious Minds,' 'If I Can Dream,' and 'An American Trilogy.' 

Graceland, the nearly 18,000-square-foot Colonial Revival mansion Presley purchased in March 1957 for just over $100,000, now serves as a tourist hotspot that receives around 600,000 annual visitors. 

The 13-acre property is now estimated to be worth between $400 to $500 million due to its cultural significance and tourist revenue. 

The Memphis Safe Task Force event featured several top Trump administration officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, advisor Stephen Miller, Immigration and Customs Enforcement boss Todd Lyons, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and local task force leadership.  

The crowd consisted of scores of National Guard troops that have been deployed to the city to combat crime since Trump directed them to the city in September 2025. 

According to local law enforcement data, crime has plummeted 43 percent compared to last year. 

The task force's leadership said at the event that it has made 7,000 arrests and seized nearly 1,100 firearms since the task force began.