Pop singer Taylor Swift endorses Harris for president after debate
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The pop singer signed off her post as "childless cat lady," referring to running mate JD Vance's comments describing supporters of the Democratic party.
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Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her “Eras Tour” at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 3, 2024. (AFP)
Pop star Taylor Swift has endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for US president in an Instagram post uploaded after the presidential debate, describing her as the "warrior" to fight for the rights and issues she believes in.
“As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can,” the singer wrote to her 283 million followers late Tuesday, adding, "I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election."
“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," she stated while encouraging her fans to register to vote.
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Swift highlighted that she watched the 90-minute debate between Harris and her Republican counterpart Donald Trump, urging her fans to do their research on “the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most."
Swift also addressed the AI-generated images depicting her falsely endorsing Trump, which he shared on his Truth Social platform.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she said. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.”
'Childless cat lady'
The singer signed off her post as "childless cat lady," referring to Trump's running mate JD Vance's comments in 2021 describing the Democratic party.
Swift has uploaded a picture of her posing with one of her three cats.
Vance called senior Democrats in President Joe Biden's administration and the US Congress “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too” when speaking to journalist and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Republicans condemn Swift's endorsement
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt denounced Swift's endorsement, saying “This is further evidence that the Democrat party has unfortunately become a party of the wealthy elites."
“There’s many Swifties for Trump out there in America,” she added.
Republican congressman Matt Gaetz also shared his thoughts about the singer's endorsement for Harris, stating, “I love her songs, but I want to live in a world where liberals make my art and conservatives make my laws and policies.”
For their part, members of the Democratic party welcomed Swift's endorsement, with Harris' running mate Tim Walz expressing that he is "incredibly grateful" to the singer.
Swifties' support for Democrats
In late August, Swifties for Kamala Coalition officially launched, raising over $138,000 for the Democrat in an online rally that included Carole King, and senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand.
The singer essentially has a large fan base. According to a Fox News poll conducted in 2023, 55% of voters, including 68% of Democrats, favorably viewed Swift. Meanwhile, Republicans had conflicting views with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% not favoring her.
Swift's endorsement may impact the election outcome since she is encouraging her Gen Z fans to vote, public relations professor at Virginia Tech, Cayce Myers, said.
He emphasized that although celebrity endorsements do not necessarily lead to significant voter turnout, Swift's endorsement may reflect on her large audience, and concentrate on women's rights, which is a topic that generally favors Democrats.
