Taylor Swift | Paolo Villanueva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons \ Kamala Harris Lawrence Jackson , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President, Calls Out Trump for AI Images

Home » Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President, Calls Out Trump for AI Images

MusicOlivia Perreault6 months ago

Global pop superstar and self-proclaimed “childless cat lady” Taylor Swift has officially endorsed Kamala Harris for President of the United States.

The news follows the highly-anticipated Presidential Debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump Tuesday night. Swift, who had stayed quiet regarding her 2024 presidential candidate pick thus far, took to Instagram to share that she watched the debate and “as a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”

Swift touched upon the AI images that made headlines a few weeks ago, which falsely showed her endorsement of Trump. One of the images shared by Trump shows an AI picture of Swift dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Uncle Sam, a symbol long associated with American patriotism and military recruitment. The image features bold text that reads, “TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP.”

The post was accompanied by a fake news article falsely alleging that Swift’s fans, commonly known as “Swifties,” are “turning to Trump” following a recent terror plot targeting one of her concerts in Vienna, Austria. Trump also shared doctored images of women sporting “Swifties for Trump” shirts. Trump shared the image on Truth Social with the caption, “I accept!”

“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift said in the Instagram post. “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.”

“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. 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.”

While Swift made her opinions known, she did not tell fans who to vote for; instead, she encouraged everyone to do their own research, as “the choice is yours to make.” Additionally, she noted that first time voters need to be registered to vote and linked where to register, as well as where to find early voting dates, in her Instagram story.

Swift signed her Instagram post as “Childless Cat Lady” — a blatant comeback at JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, who infamously made the comment while speaking on Fox News in 2021. At the time, he told Tucker Carlson, former Fox News personality, that the Democrats were pushing an “antifamily” agenda that was led by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices they’ve made so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” Alongside her endorsement, Swift shared a photo of herself holding one of her three cats, Benjamin Button, whom she brought to her photo shoot with Time Magazine when she was named Time’s 2023 Person of the Year.

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Previously, Swift endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, pointing to her concerns over racial justice, women’s rights, and the safety of the LGBTQIA+ community. Swift joins other musicians who have publicly endorsed Harris, including pop’s Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Pink, Charli XCX, Kesha, Lance Bass, Chappell Roan, and Katy Perry, rappers Quavo, Cardi B, Lil Jon, Lil Nas X, and Megan Thee Stallion, and rock’s Foo Fighters, New Radicals, and legendary acts Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, and Cher.

Most Notably, Beyonce also endorsed Harris, and her song “Freedom” was featured in Harris’ campaign video.

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A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris)

Trump has since responded to Swift’s endorsement on Wednesday morning, speaking on Fox & Friends. He pointed to one of Swift’s friends Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had reportedly liked and then unliked one of Trump’s posts regarding the 2024 GOP platform on Instagram.

“[Swift] seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay a price for it at the — in the marketplace,” Trump said. “But, no, I like Brittany. That’s the one I like, much better than Taylor Swift…I think she’s terrific. Not Taylor Swift.”

In terms of “the marketplace,” Swift’s Eras Tour has become the first tour in history to gross over $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized the accomplishment, and throughout the run, Swift has gone on to break attendance records at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium, Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium, Friends Arena in Stockholm, and London’s Wembley Stadium. She’s set to resume the final leg of her Eras tour in October.

A complete list of Eras tour dates and ticket-purchasing options can be found below: