WASHINGTON — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the presidential debate ended.
“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,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in an Instagram post, which included a link to a voter registration website.
Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes. By 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, it had generated more than 8.6 million likes.
The Berks County native included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old comments made by JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country’s future.
A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.
“That was eloquent. And it was clear,” Walz said. “And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”
Trump’s posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice.”
Trump said Wednesday that Swift’s move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox & Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”
In 2020, she supported Democrat Joe Biden, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.
AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.
VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.
Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.
The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.
Election officials prepare for threats with panic buttons, bulletproof glass
Across the country, local election directors are beefing up their security in advance of Election Day on Nov. 5 to keep their workers and polling...
How Project 2025 would poison millions of Americans
In the far-right plan for a second Trump term, Americans’ right to eat healthy food, drink clean water, and breathe clean air would come under...
Why this retired Army Lieutenant General and former Republican is voting for Kamala Harris
Ben Hodges spent nearly 40 years in the US Army, and served as the Commanding General of the US Army in Europe. Now, he’s speaking out about the...
More than 200 former Bush, McCain, and Romney staffers endorse Kamala Harris for president
In the letter, the former staffers “jointly declared” that they’ll be voting for the Harris-Walz ticket in November’s election, and condemned...
Harris and Walz make small-town stops in Western Pa. before DNC
Before hitting the prime time stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz,...