(CNN) — Taylor Swift has yet to endorse any presidential candidate this election cycle. However, former President Donald Trump says he’s accepting the superstar’s nonexistent endorsement.
Trump posted “I do!” on his Truth Social account, along with a carousel of images (from Swift), at least some of which appear to be AI-generated.
One of the AI-manipulated photos shows Swift as Uncle Sam accompanied by the caption: “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” The other photos show Swift fans wearing “Swifties for Trump” T-shirts.
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A representative for Swift did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
One of the posts shared by Trump is satire. A series of fake, AI-generated “Swifties for Trump” photos references the foiled terrorist attack planned at Swift’s concerts in Vienna earlier this month with a caption that reads, “Swifties turn out for Trump after ISIS foils Taylor Swift concert.” (The original X account that first posted the post wrote, “LOL @realDonaldTrump shared my post,” confirming that it was, in fact, satire.)
Swift fans — known as Swifties — became politicized this election cycle. Immediately after President Joe Biden stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, a large group of Swift fans formed a community called “Swifties for Kamala,” which is not affiliated with the singer. The group, which has mobilized Swift fans to help elect Harris and other Democratic candidates to the ballot, has more than 60,000 followers on X.
As of yet, no official “Swifties for Trump” group has been formed, though the superstar has a number of conservative and pro-Trump followers who have expressed their support for the former president through their individual social media accounts.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told CNN in a statement: “Swifties for Trump is a massive movement that grows every day!”
In 2020, Swift endorsed Biden and Harris in their bid for the White House.
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Speaking about her support at the time, Swift told V magazine in October 2020: “The change we need most is electing a president who recognises that people of colour deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be recognised and included.”
On the night of the 2020 vice presidential debate, Swift posted on social media: “I’m going to be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the TV a lot.”
While Swift has not endorsed Harris in her presidential race this year, she has fueled fan speculation. After a recent concert on the European leg of her “Eras” tour, Swifties were certain the singer left an Easter egg of support for Harris when a silhouette of a woman on stage appeared to represent the vice president. But CNN debunked that theory, reporting that the silhouette in question was actually one of Swift’s backup singers.
Swift, who was not a politician for the first decade of her career, has been an outspoken supporter of Democratic candidates and policies in recent years. She is an advocate for the LGBTQ community and has frequently spoken out about women’s rights and reproductive health.
In her 2020 documentary, “Miss Americana,” Swift expressed regret for not speaking out about political causes sooner. “I need to be on the right side of history,” she said in an emotional scene with her father. In another scene, Swift told her publicist that she doesn’t care if she faces backlash for speaking out against Trump. “I don’t care. If I’m going to get bad press for saying, ‘Don’t put a homophobic racist in the presidency,’ then I’m going to get bad press for that.”
Swift tweeted about her disdain for Trump in 2020, writing: “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts???’ We will vote you out in November.”
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A spokesperson for Swifties for Kamala responded to Trump for posting the AI photos, telling CNN that their group was created because its community “shares values” with Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
“We believe Harris-Walz will fight for our rights and the rights of our loved ones, and help make this country safer for everyone,” Carly Long, communications director for Swifties for Kamala, told CNN on Monday, adding that the group has raised more than $10,000 for Harris-Walz’s campaign. “Our movement also started and gained significant momentum because, as Taylor Swift said back in 2020, Donald Trump is ‘a homophobic racist,’ and as a community, we do not and cannot support having such a president. We do not represent all Swifties, but we believe there is a reason we do not need AI to show our support for Harris.”
Despite his post, Trump appears to acknowledge that Swift does not actually endorse him.
In the new book, “Apprentice in Wonderland,” Trump told author Ramin Setoodeh: “I think she’s pretty, very pretty! I think she’s very pretty. I think she’s a progressive. She probably doesn’t like Trump.”
Following the book’s publication, left-wing Swifties took to social media with a message for the former president: “Stay away from her.”
