NASHVILLE, Tennessee, USA. —
Music superstar Taylor Swift has officially kicked off her Kamala Harris era.
Shortly after the Democratic nominee and former President Donald Trump wrapped up their first — and likely only — presidential debate Tuesday night, Swift, who is nearing the end of her Eras world tour, posted a lengthy message on Instagram announcing her support for Harris, as well as a link to a voter registration website.
She included a photo of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and signed the post “Childless Cat Lady,” a reference to 2021 comments made by Trump’s running mate JD Vance about how childless women really have no stake in the country’s future.
FILE – Taylor Swift arrives at the world premiere of the concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” in Los Angeles on Oct. 11, 2023.
(Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
The endorsement isn’t Swift’s first time wading into politics, but it puts to rest months of speculation about whether she would choose a side in this year’s presidential bid. Here’s what you need to know:
Why did Swift choose Harris?
In her Instagram post, Swift said she would vote for Harris because Harris “fights for rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to stand up for them.”
“I think she is a strong and talented leader and I believe we can accomplish much more in this country if we are guided by calm and not chaos,” he wrote.
Swift also said her endorsement of Harris was motivated in part by Trump’s decision to post AI-generated images suggesting she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, with the caption reading: “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.”
Trump’s posts “led me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote.
FILE – Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour,” Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
(Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
In response, Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always back a Democrat and will probably pay a price in the marketplace.”
Did Harris’ campaign know the endorsement was coming?
Swift did not coordinate her endorsement with Harris’ campaign, according to two senior campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the campaign’s stance on Swift. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, seemed surprised by the news when it was presented to him during an interview with MSNBC.
However, while Harris’ team says Swift’s post was uncoordinated, they were prepared for the eventuality and within minutes replicated Swift’s Instagram message on the campaign channels and launched a Swift-style Harris-Walz friendship bracelet in their store that quickly sold out.
Who did Swift support in 2020?
Swift supported Democrat Joe Biden, even posting a photo on social media of herself holding Biden 2020 cookies and saying she supported Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Swift also openly criticized Trump, saying he had fueled “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
When did Swift start expressing her political stance?
Swift first broke her long-standing refusal to discuss politics in 2018 by endorsing then-Democratic Tennessee Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, who was running against Republican Marsha Blackburn.
It was her criticism of Blackburn that stood out in her endorsement, where Swift, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, criticized the Republican’s opposition to certain LGBTQ+ rights and her vote against the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization in 2013.
FILE – Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 9, 2023.
(Natasha Pisarenko/AP)
“I have been reluctant to publicly express my political views in the past, but due to various events in my life and in the world over the past two years, I now feel very differently about it,” Swift wrote on Instagram at the time.
Blackburn eventually won the election in conservative Tennessee, but the endorsement cemented Swift as an influential political force.
What motivated the change?
The 2020 Netflix documentary “Miss Americana” captured several dramatic turning points for Swift, but one of the most revealing involved behind-the-scenes conversations she was having with her family before she spoke out against Blackburn in the 2018 Senate race.
Her father warned against it, citing potential economic impact and security concerns. And her publicist said Trump might go after her.
“I’m saying right now that this is something I know is right,” he told his team. “I need to be on the right side of history.”
In the film, Swift said her desire to enter politics was sparked after she successfully countersued a Denver radio host who she said groped her during a pre-concert encounter.
“It’s not that I want to get into this,” Swift said in the film. “It’s just that I can’t, not right now. Something is different in my life, completely and immutably different since the sexual assault trial last year. No man in my organization or in my family will ever understand what that was like.”
How influential are celebrity endorsements?
Swift’s endorsements don’t always translate into victories. In 2018, Blackburn won by a comfortable margin. At the time, AP VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable view of Swift.
Notably, Swift is originally from Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground that will be critical to any of the presidential candidates’ chances of winning the presidency. However, it is unclear how much influence she might have among its voters.
While she is popular nationwide, her influence is especially strong 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 split, with 43% having a favorable view and 45% an unfavorable one.
Swift could make history at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, where she could become the most-awarded female musician. The show is known for encouraging young people to register to vote, and if Swift attends, she could reiterate her support for Harris.
