Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has vented his displeasure with American singer Taylor Swift after she endorsed his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” the former president wrote in a brief, all-caps post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, without elaborating on why.
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Swift, widely regarded as the biggest pop sensation of 2023 with 284 million social media followers, announced on Instagram last week that she would be voting for “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.” She explained her choice by stating that Harris is a “gifted leader” who “fights for the rights and causes” that need “a warrior to champion them,” along with her running mate’s support for “LGBTQ+ rights.”
The 34-year-old accompanied her post with a picture of herself with a cat, signing it “Childless Cat Lady,” in apparent reference to Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s remark from three years ago that the Democratic Party is run “by a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
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Swift, whose fan base consists largely of young women known as Swifties, also urged her fans to visit polling stations in November.
“If you are over 18, please register to vote for something that’s very important … the presidential election,” she said in her award acceptance speech at MTV’s Video Music Awards ceremony on Wednesday, following which there was an increase of around 500% in voter registration, according to data firm TargetSmart.
Harris’s supporters welcomed Swift’s backing, with Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey stating that “Taylor Swift’s impact on voter engagement is undeniable.” Meanwhile, Republican voters criticized her endorsement, arguing that celebrities “aren’t policy experts” and that their opinions should not influence one’s vote.
“Before you let Taylor Swift influence your vote, may I remind you that 90% of her hit songs are about choosing the wrong person,” reads a trending meme on X.
A recent YouGov poll indicates that most respondents feel Swift’s endorsement either helped, at least a little, or had no effect on Harris’s campaign, with 41% believing she should not publicly speak about politics.