US President Donald Trump shares his music taste with reporters in odd exchange on Air Force One

Minutes later, a large speaker appeared in the press cabin, along with an “Approved Rally Playlist” featuring “Jolene,” “Losing My Religion,” “November Rain” and “Nessun Dorma.” The president later came back to check on his audience himself: “I picked most of them.”

The answer, delivered somewhere over the Atlantic on Sunday during the presidential flight from Ireland back to Washington, was an unlikely mix of country music, classic rock, opera, ABBA and even the entrance music of one of WWE’s most famous wrestlers.

At 12:36 a.m. Israel time (Monday), Air Force One’s senior flight attendant entered the press cabin with a message directly from the president: Trump wanted to know whether the “pool”  the small group of reporters traveling with him would like to listen to his playlist.

About a minute later, the attendant returned, this time carrying a large speaker. Soon, music began playing from a collection bearing a not particularly mysterious title: the “Approved Rally Playlist.”

And so began the presidential musical tour.

The playlist included “Jolene” by the late Dolly Parton, one of the most recognizable country songs in American music. It was followed by Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” before the soundtrack abruptly shifted into an entirely different arena: the entrance theme of The Undertaker, one of the most iconic wrestlers in WWE history.

From there, the selections remained just as eclectic.

Cat Stevens’s “Wild World” was followed by R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” as well as The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” the song frequently referred to as “Teenage Wasteland” because of its famous refrain.

But Trump’s airborne playlist did not remain in the world of rock.

At one point, Luciano Pavarotti’s rendition of “Nessun Dorma,” one of opera’s best-known arias, filled the cabin. Then came ABBA’s “Fernando,” followed by one of the defining rock ballads of the 1990s: Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain.”

The eclectic collection will not come as a complete surprise to those who have followed Trump over the years. Music has long played a conspicuous role at his rallies and public events, and Trump has often displayed an unusually personal attachment to the songs played around him.

In October 2024, for example, a campaign town hall in Pennsylvania was interrupted by medical emergencies in the audience. Trump eventually abandoned the question-and-answer portion of the event and instead asked for a series of songs he liked to be played.

Among them was Pavarotti’s version of “Ave Maria.” Trump remained onstage for roughly 40 minutes as one song after another played, occasionally swaying to the music before ultimately leaving to “November Rain.”

The Guns N’ Roses song, in particular, has long been associated with Trump’s playlists, appearing at previous events alongside music by Elvis Presley, James Brown and the Village People.

This time, however, Trump did not simply send the music back to the press cabin.

At 1:19 a.m. Israel time about 43 minutes after the playlist began the president himself appeared in the rear section of Air Force One, where the reporters were seated.

Wearing a blue suit without a tie and holding a sheet of paper, Trump surveyed the cabin.

“I just wanted to make sure everybody’s okay with the music,” he said.

Then he added a detail that made clear this was not simply a collection assembled for him by a campaign aide.

“I picked most of them,” Trump said. “I just want to make you happy.”

Trump remained in the press cabin and began answering reporters’ questions, with the music adding an unusual soundtrack to the presidential gaggle.

At one point, the conversation turned to his love of music.

“I love music. I love good music,” Trump said. “That’s what keeps me happy. With my life, it’s a very interesting thing. But I love music.”

He even instructed aides to continue writing down the names of the songs for reporters as they played.

It was a small and unusual glimpse into life aboard the presidential aircraft and into the musical tastes of the man occupying its most famous cabin.

Or, as Trump himself put it before leaving the reporters to their music:

“Every song you hear is mine. They’re all good. We love Elton, we love Dolly. We love everybody.”