The Making of the President 2024: Taylor Swift's Endorsement
Taylor Allison Swift is probably the most well-known person on the planet. The thirty-four year old is one of the world's best-selling musical artists. She has sold an estimated 200 million records and seven of her albums have been releases to sales of over one million during the first week. She has been listed amongst history's greatest artists by publications such as Rolling Stone, Forbes and Billboard and is the only musician to have been named as Time Magazine's Person of the Year, capturing that accolade in 2023. She has won 14 Grammy Awards, 40 American Music Awards, 39 Billboard Music Awards and 30 MTV Video Music Awards.
Her influence has extended into political spheres, and during the current election campaign, many speculated as to whether or not she would endorse one of the two leading presidential candidates, and if so which one. She was initially apolitical, citing the 2003 controversy over the female country group the Dixie Chicks and the backlash they received after their criticism of President George W. Bush. She did not openly endorse a presidential candidate prior to 2018,, but in the mid-term elections of 2018, for the first time Swift used her influence to endorse Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in her home state of Tennessee. The endorsement of these candidates was made on the social media platform Instigram.
Swift has spoken about her support for a number of causes typically identified with a liberal ideology. These include her support for pro-choice causes, as well as for LGBT rights, gender equity, and gun control. She was critical of the Trump administration, accusing it of racism and fostering violence during the George Floyd protests. She has also been critical of Tennessee Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. She has supported the Equality Act, the creation of Juneteenth as a national holiday, and the removal of statues of Confederate generals and political leaders.
In the 2020 Presidential election, Swift endorse the campaign of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris. With that background in mind, it probably came as no surprise that when, on September 10, 2024, Swift did give an endorsement for a Presidential candidate, that candidate was Kamala Harris.
Before exiting from the race for the Presidency, Joe Biden had sought Swift's endorsement. Anticipating that this might happen, some of Donald Trump's supporters alleged that Swift was involved in a conspiracy with the Democrats, the National Football League, and her current boyfriend Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, to sway voters to vote for Biden. These conspiracy theorists also claimed that Super Bowl LVIII was rigged in favor of the Chiefs. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who had sought the 2024 presidential Republican nomination for President, tweeted, "I wonder who's going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there's a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall."
This theory was criticized by Nikki Haley, another Republican presidential candidate, who called the theory, calling it "bizarre." Haley said, "Nobody knows who she's gonna endorse, but I can't believe that's overtaken our national politics.... The last thing I really think we need to be worried about is who Taylor Swift is dating and what conspiracy theory is gonna have her endorsing a person for president."
The Guardian newspaper reported that in a poll that had been taken, nearly one in every five American, which is 18 percent of the country's populace, believes "Swift is part of a covert government effort to re-elect Joe Biden."
On February 11, 2024, Donald Trump claimed in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, that "there's no way" Swift could be "disloyal" to him by endorsing Biden. Trump claimed that he had "made her so much money" by signing the Music Modernization Act into law.
After the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII, Biden posted a meme on social media poking fun at the conspiracy theory. Then in August 2024, Trump shared an AI-generated images that depicted a likeness of Swift endorsing Trump, which he posted on Truth Social. The images depicted Swift as Uncle Sam, asking fans to vote Republican.
On September 10, 2024, shortly after the presidential debate between Trump and Harris, Swift posted a picture of herself on Instagram, holding her cat, and announced her endorsement of Harris and Tim Walz. She criticized Trump's use of AI to create the false endorsement in the post, and she signed the post as "Childless Cat Lady", referencing comments made by Republican vice-presidential candidate J. D. Vance. Her post read:
Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.
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. 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.
I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.
With love and hope,
Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady
Trump criticized Swift's endorsement of Harris, saying Swift will "pay a price for it in the marketplace". Trump sold merchandise that copied the same designs as Swift's Eras Tour merchandise.
A goup of Swift’s supporters (known as Swifties) have formed a "Swifties for Kamala" community online, which was created shortly following Biden’s exit from the race and his subsequent endorsement of Harris. Swift is not affiliated with the group, but it has thousands of followers on X, and has raised more than $122K during its two-hour kickoff in August. Irene Kim, communications director of Swifties for Kamala, told CNN, “We believe Harris-Walz will fight for our rights and the rights of our loved ones, and help make this country safer for everyone.”