Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump visited Graceland on Monday before returning to Washington following a roundtable discussion in Memphis focused on crime reduction efforts.
Speaking to reporters during the stop, the president said he has long admired Elvis Presley and described himself as a fan of the singer’s music.
“I love Elvis. Elvis, you know, they all say, ‘Did you know Elvis?’ I knew Frank Sinatra. I knew most of them. Unfortunately, I never met Elvis, and that would be one I would have liked a lot, but I do like his music,” he said.
President Trump said the visit marked the first time he had been to Graceland, Presley’s historic home in Memphis.
“I’ve never been here, no. I just, I’m a big fan of Elvis. Who isn’t right? But I think he’s great. I think his music is incredible. I understood his life. His life was complicated. It was complicated, but he was terrific,” President Trump added.
“He was born with a voice that he never lost, right? He had other difficulties, but he never lost the voice,” he continued.
President Trump also spoke about Presley’s relationship with his mother.
“Well, he loved his mom so much, and the father, but he really loved his mom, and I think when his mom went, it was very hard for him,” he said.
During the visit, the president signed a replica guitar similar to the one Presley used during the “Aloha from Hawaii” concert in 1973. The president described the invitation as “a big honor.”
Earlier in the day, President Trump participated in a Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable, where he highlighted what he described as progress in reducing crime in the city.
According to figures cited during the meeting, Memphis has seen a 67 decrease decrease in motor vehicle thefts compared with the same period last year. Officials also reported a 51 percent drop in robberies, a 38 percent decline in sexual harassment cases, and large declines in homicides and burglaries.
“It was averaging far more than one murder per day, with a crime rate higher than Colombia, Mexico City, or Baghdad … I shouldn’t be saying this, but here’s the good news: it’s been fixed, alright? I hate to say this because it’s so negative,” he said during the roundtable.
