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SHORTLY AFTER THE lights went down on the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump last night, American singer Taylor Swift publicly endorsed Harris for the presidency.
“I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote on social media, pledging her vote to the current vice-president.
Celebrity endorsements are not uncommon in politics but Swift’s voice, which had stayed quiet about the election until now, carries particularly heavy weight given the scale of her support base, which has skyrocketed in recent years.
The endorsement after the debate also came at a time when Swift herself was facing scrutiny over her political position.
Swift’s endorsement of Harris came, as so many political dispatches do these days, in an Instagram post, which was uploaded in the immediate aftermath of the first Harris-Trump debate.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” Swift wrote, encouraging followers to research issues and the candidates’ stances on them. “As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country,” she continued.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift declared.
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Swift commented on a recent statement made by Trump using artificial intelligence that had falsely suggested she had endorsed him.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift said.
“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
Swift concluded the post by saying that she did her research and made her choice accordingly and encouraged followers again to do their own research and to register to vote.
In a jab at Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, who in 2021 called a number of Democrats, including Harris, a “bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives”, Swift signed off her post: “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
What Taylor Swift does and does not speak about publicly is a frequent point of discussion among her fans (and critics).
Swift, who forged the beginnings of her career as a country pop singer in Tennessee, spent many years declining to comment on politics. She later attributed this approach partly to advice from label executives influenced by the Republican-led backlash faced by the Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) in 2003 when they said they did not support George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq.
Despite joining the music scene in 2005 and gaining international fame with her second album in 2008, it wasn’t until a decade later in 2018 that Swift made her first public comments about her politics when she she endorsed Democratic candidates in Tennessee in the midterm elections.
A documentary titled ‘Miss Americana’ released two years later explored internal pushback she received from her team – including her father – at that time against her desire to speak out ahead of the midterms.
In 2020, she endorsed Joe Biden with just a month left to go until voting day.
Forbes subsequently called her the “most powerful voice in politics”.
I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president. So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies 🍪💪😘
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) October 7, 2020
📷 @inezandvinoodh pic.twitter.com/DByvIgKocr
However, in more recent years, she has returned to relative quiet on political matters.
Her silence over the last year on Gaza, for instance, has been criticised by many and her lack of public position on the 2024 US election up until now had been a source of consternation for fans, though some argue that her neutrality on certain political issues is a deliberate move for security reasons, particularly after the revelations about thwarted plans by terrorists to bomb her concert in Vienna.
Over the last week, Swift has faced ire from Democrats in her fanbase over her association with Brittany Mahomes, whom she embraced at the US Open Men’s Final on Sunday night.
Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes (a teammate of Travis Kelce, Swift’s partner), garnered attention this month when she liked an Instagram post from Trump about his policies and later liked pro-Trump comments on an Instagram post, including one that read “Trump-Vance 2024″.
Swift is believed to have developed a friendship with Mahomes through their mutual connection to the Kansas City team, often seen attending games together.
The two did not share a box at a recent game, leading to speculation that Swift was avoiding Mahomes over her political positions – but they were then seen hugging at the US Open at the weekend.
It made headlines in US media and prompted significant debate among Swift’s fans.
Some took the view that an individual’s friends are not necessarily an indicator of one’s own political views, while others felt that they could not support Swift showing public backing for someone who has apparently endorsed policies harmful to women and other minority groups.
So, Swift’s endorsement of Harris came at exactly the right time to try to put accusations that she is a ‘closeted Republican’ to bed.
It also comes a day before the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where Swift is topping the nomination rankings with 12 nods. Two years ago, she used the VMAs to announce her tenth studio album “Midnights”. The timing of her endorsement of Harris has added to the buzz around the singer ahead of what is typically a fruitful night for her.
The singer’s endorsement of Harris last night was a major point of discussion in the hours after the debate.
Harris’s running mate Tim Walz learned about the endorsement live on air during an interview with MSNBC.
“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that as a fellow cat owner,” he quipped.
“That was eloquent and it was clear and that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up,” Walz said.
Tim Walz learns about Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris in real time on MSNBC pic.twitter.com/KVsyH9v87d
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2024
Capitalising on the momentum, Harris’s official store is now selling friendship bracelets with letter beads spelling out Harris and Walz – a nod to the huge trend of Taylor Swift fans making friendship bracelets to wear and exchange at her concerts.
Harris also walked off-stage at a post-debate event to Swift’s song ‘The Man’, which is about women facing harsher scrutiny and barriers to success than men.
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I wouldn’t exactly be excited to be endorsed by Taylor Swift. Pass the bucket..
@Andrew Kenny: I’d be on the same page as you but there’s a 300 million younger vote in the US so her word will definitely impact on Trumps campaign so it definitely carries weight.
@Tony Skillington: 300million ?
@Tony Skillington: 300 million? Did everyone get Botox?
@Andrew Kenny: I would if I welcomed support from her huge fan base.
@Tony Skillington: average age of her concert goers is 40+. Taylor has outlined her reasons and research behind the decision to endorse Harris, not that any of you would care to read them.
@Tony Skillington: In 2020 there was 168.31 million people registered to vote in the US. Sure the total population is around 345 million…… Did you get mixed up with the amount of worldwide followers she has or something?…..
The general jist of what you’re saying is right
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: No. It’s completely wrong.
@Brendan O’Brien: Are you a numpty Trump supporter? In which case everything that anyone says against him is wrong, not just anyone on here!
@Brendan O’Brien: Good man Brendan. Get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?!?!
@Andrew Kenny: It’s great to see even as a non-Swiftie! Not my bag but hugely influential. The Trump’s of the world have had the run of the place for too long. Male, stale and beyond the pale, in his case. Stick together sisters and bring the old guard down! I don’t agree with everything Harris stands for but she’s not so much an upgrade as hi-tech cutting-edge futurism beside the cat-crazed mob.
See comments closed on fine gael always open for the shinners how come
@John Kenny: the Churno is a mouth piece for FFG, no mystery really
@John Kenny: Because I said so.
@John Kenny: they closed the article where FG want to bring in public-funded childcare!!! Socialist childcare!!! From a party that’s supposed to be for privatisation/capitalism!!!
@Brendan O’Brien: no just your mammy
@John Kenny: why type words can make no sense question mark.
Means little. Americans with a brain like Elon Musk are voting for Trump in November.
@cup of tea: the only winner of last nights debate was Vovager 1, the furthest thing from Earth.
@cup of tea: You mean most Americans with half a brain will vote for Trump. Elon Musk may be intelligent but he has no compassion or empathy, which may be part of his autism. Just watch the way he fired people at Twitter – there are even videos of him doing it. If he is the type of leader which encompasses Trump thinking then Attila the Hun would be considered a nice chap.
@Con Cussed: musk has Asperger’s not autism. And they way he fired those twitter employees was proven right. Twitter still ran without a hitch.
@Shane Kinsella (Kinsey): Aspergers was classed as a type of autism.
Twitter has lost half its value since Muskys takeover.
And Twitter even DDoSed itself.
@cup of tea: What’s wrong with his brain
I knew she was trouble when she walked in
Not supporter of trump or Harris but if a person young or old need to follow some pop star to help them to decide who to vote for well that is a sad state of affairs for that person who can’t think for themselves.
@Ned: If you actually read her statement she did not tell people to vote for Harris. She told people to look at what both candidates and decide for themselves who to vote for. What she recommended her followers was for them to make sure they register to vote.
@Patrick Hamill: her intent was to drag her fans who can’t think for themselves to vote for Harris that is so obvious even you should see that
Genuine question: if a man gets a woman pregnant should the man have a say in what happens to the foetus, unborn child, sprog, spawn, or whatever people want to label the result.
@AnthonyK: No: it’s the woman’s body, she she ultimately decides.
@AnthonyK: ‘so she’, I meant.
@AnthonyK: “or whatever people want to label the result’.” Wow.
@Brendan O’Brien: Stay on topic.
@AnthonyK: Yep, as soon as men get pregnant…
@AnthonyK: no
@AnthonyK: Genuine answer: Ideally the man should be allowed state his case. But be shouldn’t ever be allowed to dictate what a woman does with her body.
@AnthonyK: No, it’s the womans body.
@AnthonyK: what if the man feels like he’s a woman now surely that’ll give him rights he can argue he has very same rights as a woman then with equality crap.
She was criticised because she’s friends with someone who “liked” a Trump comment on social media. So there are sad people who actually check on what comments people like. The inquisition has returned.
Meanwhile being endorsed by a singer is a major thing! Granted Harris is a better choice than Trump (so is my cat). But the dumbing down of politics is rather worrying.
@Frank: It was probably forced into peoples “news” feed by the algorithms used on these social media platforms.
Haven’t seen any posts from buster this morning
@Michael o Dwyer: that’s probably him pretending to be Brendan O Brien
@Michael o Dwyer: Trolls gonna troll. He’ll be the first to whine like his Daddy when trolling closes down more comment sections.
@Jack Hayes: You’re the only one whining here, lady.
@Michael o Dwyer: probably gone to bed to cover his head. Can’t believe what happened last night.
@Mike: So you don’t understand the meaning of ‘whining’ then?
@Jack Hayes: Keep on moaning, girl. It’s entertaining.
@Mike: Add moaning to the list of things you don’t understand. Calling me ‘girl’ is great. You’re another low IQ, low info Dim Bulb and you’re not afraid to hide it.
@Jack Hayes: Fix me a sammich, lady! And hurry t fk up.
I wish trump would clear up one thing? Are the Dems talentless, incompetent bunglers or are they complex, genius, masterminds?
I bet the Trump supporters onhere believe they are both.
@Louis Jacob: You just reminded me of this paragraph from an article I read recently about Trump supporters – Boebert took the opportunity to boast on Trump’s behalf about one of his favorite topics: his supreme intelligence—as evidenced by the fact that, as Trump loves to mention, he allegedly once “aced” some cognitive test.
But here’s what Boebert actually said: “President Trump, when he was in office, underwent testing for his cognitive dissonance.”
You couldn’t make up those types of slips…….
@Tricia G28: Lol. I have to say I’m addicted to Boebert videos. She’s straight out of Monty Python.
@Louis Jacob: Sounds like she’s a lot smarter than yourself!
@Con Cussed: Good one.
Taylor Swift, well, maybe. Let’s hope she doesn’t get endorsed by Bouncey, Pinky, Dolly and the other pretentious “feminists”. That would sink her with a lot of voters!
@Padraig O’Brien: Ok. You’re one of those types of people ….
It never stops amazing how so called alfa males worship every hateful lie the crying orange thing spouts out ,
have your say