Taylor Swift has said she will vote for Kamala Harris in the US election, prompting a strong response from Donald Trump who claims she’ll “probably pay a price for it”.
The singer’s Instagram post showed her holding her cat Benjamin Button – a reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance‘s “childless cat lady” comments.
Swift urged her 283 million followers to “do your research” – but said AI-generated images of her supporting Mr Trump made her realise “I need to be very transparent about my actual plans”.
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“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she said. “I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
“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 Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
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Mr Walz, who was on air on MSNBC when the endorsement was announced, said he was “incredibly grateful” and urged the singer’s large fan base of “Swifties” to “get things going”.
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‘This will be the opportunity, Swifties’
Trump: Swift will ‘pay a price’
Mr Trump dismissed the singer’s endorsement of the Harris campaign, saying he “was not a Taylor fan” and “she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace”.
During a phone call with Fox News he said: “It was just a question of time, she couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. She’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat.”
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Soon after the debate, the Harris campaign celebrated the endorsement on X by showcasing Harris-Walz friendship bracelets.
Friendship bracelets have become synonymous with Swift and her sold-out Eras tour with fans exchanging them with one another.
Referencing the lyrics of Swift’s hit …Ready For It? – Ms Harris’s team posted an image of the bracelets, which can be purchased on the campaign’s official website, saying: “Are you ready for it? Harris-Walz friendship bracelets have hit the store!”
‘Massive star’ endorsement could be ‘huge’
Sky News US correspondent James Matthews said after her post that Swift’s endorsement was “huge” for the Harris-Walz campaign.
“She is a massive star, huge,” he said. “She speaks to people in a way that politicians do not, and the message from Taylor Swift will resonate with a huge audience far beyond the kind of people watching what has gone on here.
“The timing will not have been an accident. Tonight, the headline is Taylor Swift. Tomorrow, all the talk is going to be about Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift and the momentum that will be behind her.”
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Trump is not a Swiftie
Mr Trump also made a comparison between Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes – the wife of NFL star Patrick Mahomes – who made headlines last week after liking one of the former president’s social media posts, sparking online criticism.
“I actually like [Brittany] Mahomes better, if you want to know the truth – she’s a big Trump fan,” he said.
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It marks the first time Swift has spoken on the 2024 election. While the Style hitmaker did endorse Joe Biden in 2020, she did so only a month before election day.
However, despite her worldwide fame and popularity even Taylor Swift cannot escape the vicissitudes of American politics. The number of people following her on social media fell following her post.