WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the presidential debate ended.
“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,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in an Instagram postwhich included a link to a voter registration website.
Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.
She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old comments made by JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country’s future.
A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.
“That was eloquent. And it was clear,” Walz said. “And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”
Trump’s posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice.”
Trump said Wednesday that Swift’s move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox & Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”
In 2020, she supported Democrat Joe Bidenand she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.
AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.
VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.
Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.
The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Philadelphia, Linley Sanders in Washington and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
What motivated Taylor Swift to endorse Kamala Harris for president?
Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President: What You Need to Know
In a surprise move, Taylor Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Swift’s endorsement, made via an Instagram post late Tuesday, has sent waves through the political sphere and has been met with both praise and criticism.
Swift’s Endorsement: A Stand Against Chaos
In her Instagram post, Swift wrote, “I think she Kamala Harris]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”[[1[[1[[1[[1[[1[[1[[1[[1]. The post included a link to a voter registration website, and Swift signed off as “Childless Cat Lady,” a reference
Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President: What You Need to Know
In a surprise move, pop superstar Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president, shortly after the presidential debate ended [1]. Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, took to Instagram to express her support for Harris, writing, “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” [2].
Swift’s endorsement is significant, given her massive following among young women, a key demographic in the November election. Her latest tour has generated over $1 billion in ticket sales, and her Instagram post received over 2.3 million likes in just half an hour.
In her post, Swift included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” This is a nod to three-year-old comments made by JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country’s future [3].
The Harris campaign was caught off guard by the endorsement, with a senior campaign official stating that it was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, learned about the endorsement during a live interview on MSNBC, breaking into a smile and patting his chest in response [1].
Swift’s endorsement was partially prompted by Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures suggesting that she had endorsed him. One of the pictures showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam.
The impact of Swift’s endorsement is already being felt, with Vote.gov visits surging after her post. According to data from the General Services Administration, Swift’s post directed nearly 338,000 people to Vote.gov in just 24 hours [3].
Swift’s
