Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president of the United States in an Instagram post after the U.S. vice-president’s contentious debate with Donald Trump on Tuesday night.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote in the instantly viral post. “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.”
The superstar, who had previously endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, posted the endorsement minutes after Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, walked offstage at the debate. Harris used Swift’s “The Man” as her walk-off song at her postdebate rally.
In her Instagram post, Swift shared an image of herself holding her cat Benjamin “Benji” Button and signed off as “Childless Cat Lady,” referencing Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s disparaging comments about women without children.
“I’m voting for (Harris) because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote to her 283 million followers. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate (Walz, the governor of Minnesota), who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
In her post, Swift also reminded fans that they have to be registered to be able to vote and added, “I also find it’s much easier to vote early.”
Swift also addressed Trump’s use of AI images of her to falsely imply that she had endorsed him.
“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.“
The singer has been critical of the former U.S. president in the past. In the lead-up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Swift accused Trump of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Walz reacted to Swift’s endorsement live on MSNBC in a conversation with host Rachel Maddow. “I’m incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift, I say that also as a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear. That’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Following the endorsement, the Harris-Walz campaign opened preorders for friendship bracelets — which have become a staple of the Swiftie fandom — on their website.
After Swift’s endorsement, reporters asked Trump for comment. He said, “I have no idea.”
Elon Musk responded to Swift’s endorsement with a tweet that sparked instant controversy and accusations of misogyny.
“Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life,” he wrote. In the replies, Musk — the CEO of Tesla and Space X, and the owner of X, responded to a tweet about “unmarried women” being the Democratic Party’s “primary voting demographic” with a 100 emoji.
Swift’s endorsement had been highly sought-after during an election year where celebrity endorsements are a vital part of politics. Harris has also been endorsed by other heavy-hitting celebrities like Charli XCX, Carole King, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee, Cardi B and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Trump’s endorsements include Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan.
Many of Swift’s fans had already mobilized to support Harris long before the endorsement. Last month, her fans raised $122,000 (U.S.) for the Harris-Walz campaign in a two-hour Zoom call, organized by the group Swifties for Kamala. The call featured many prominent Democratic politicians, including Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey as well as legendary American singer-songwriter Carole King who called Swift her “music and songwriting granddaughter.”
English