Donald Trump paid his respects to Aretha Ranklin on Twitter on Thursday, joining his old nemesis, Hillary Clinton, and other politicians in marking the death of the Queen of Soul, Huffington Post is reporting.
As reported by the Inquisitr , the soul/R&B singer passed away at the age of 76, reportedly of pancreatic cancer.
Donald Trump paid his respects on social media.
“The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed!”
Trump appears to have met Aretha Franklin at least once in his life. According to CNN Politics , she and Trump were photographed together at the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York City in 1997.
Back when Trump was lining up acts for his inauguration, news outlets such as Time and ABC News Australia reported that Aretha had performed at the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama; however, reports didn’t state whether or not Aretha had declined to perform at Trump’s festivities, or if she had even been invited at all.
In fact, Franklin graced the White House many times throughout her long career, though she personally was never known for taking public political stances.
Donald Trump and Aretha Franklin during the grand opening of Trump International Hotel & Tower in NYC, 1997 pic.twitter.com/5AVWAVzqd1
— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) August 16, 2018
It wasn’t just at inaugurations where Aretha rubbed elbows with presidents. In 2005, as CBS News reported at the time, then-President George W. Bush personally presented Franklin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Other politicians joined Donald Trump in paying their respects to the departed singer.
Trump’s predecessor in the Oval Office, Barack Obama, tweeted that Aretha represented the best of what America had to offer.
“Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.”
Trump’s old nemesis, Hillary Clinton, called Aretha a “friend” in her Twitter tribute .
“She deserves not only our RESPECT but also our lasting gratitude for opening our eyes, ears and hearts. Rest in eternal peace, my friend.”
Bill Clinton invoked Aretha’s performances at his inaugurations in a statement.
“For more than 50 years, she stirred our souls. She was elegant, graceful, and utterly uncompromising in her artistry. I’ll always be grateful for her kindness and support, including her performances at both my inaugural celebrations.”
