- She’s kept her political opinions quiet so far in the run up to the US presidential election – but now Taylor Swift has publicly endorsed Kamala Harris
- The pop star made a lengthy statement to her Instagram followers – and signed it off as a ‘childless cat lady’
- Harris’s opponent, Donald Trump, spoke out against her words following the announcement
She came under fire this week after being spotted hugging a supporter of Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
But now Taylor Swift has made her opinion on the US presidential election very clear.
The Trouble singer, 34, released a statement to her fans on September 11 – the day after Trump and current VP Kamala Harris went head-to-head in their first debate ahead of November’s election.
In a post to her 283 million Instagram followers, Swift wrote, “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.”
As if the message wasn’t clear enough, Swift then explicitly stated her voting intentions – and publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Harris.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she said. “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.”
Signing off the message “with love and hope”, Swift then went on to reference JD Vance – Trump’s running mate – who in 2021 labeled several prominent Democrats, including Harris, “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives”.
Swift is the proud owner of three felines – Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button – and concluded her statement, “Taylor Swift – Childless Cat Lady.”
Trump: ‘I’m not a Swift fan’
After hearing of the statement, Trump told Fox News that he “was not a Taylor Swift fan”.
He also called her a “very liberal person” and said that she will “pay the price for it in the marketplace.”
On the other hand, Harris’s running mate Tim Walz was thrilled by the endorsement – and said he was grateful to Swift “as a fellow cat owner”.
Within 24 hours of her announcement, nearly 340,000 people had visited the voter registration website, vote.gov, using a custom link created and shared by Swift.
