Donald Trump seemingly emerged from Tuesday night less impressive than his Democratic opponent — a sentiment Taylor Swift agreed with as she endorsed Kamala Harris shortly after the presidential debate concluded in Philadelphia.
What Did Taylor Swift Say?
In a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday, September 10, the “Karma” singer expressed her support for Kamala Harris while criticizing the Republican candidate and his team for using AI-generated images with her likeness earlier this summer.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” Swift began in her post. “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.”
She added, “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.”
Last month, the former president shared a collage of AI-generated images purporting to show young women in “Swifties for Trump” shirts. “I accept!” Trump wrote in the caption of the post shared on his Truth Social platform. The former president later claimed he didn’t “know anything about them other than somebody else generated them. I didn’t generate them.”
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift clarified, describing Harris as “a steady-handed, gifted leader” and expressing her admiration for Harris’ selection of running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, “who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
“I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” She emphasized her decision, concluding, “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 14-time Grammy winner signed the post with “Childless cat lady” — a direct jab at Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, whose comments resurfaced earlier this year. Vance had complained that America is being run “by a bunch of childless cat ladies, who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made,” while referring to Harris, who has two stepchildren through her marriage to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
What Was Donald Trump’s Response?
When Trump was first asked Tuesday night to acknowledge the coveted endorsement of the mega pop star—which now has almost 9 million likes—the GOP nominee said, “I have no idea.”
But on Wednesday morning, when asked about Swift endorsing Harris, Trump told Fox News he prefers Swift’s friend, Brittany Mahomes—who has recently spent more time with Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce—over the singer.
“I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better if you want to know the truth,” Trump replied. “She’s a big Trump fan. I was not a Taylor Swift fan.”
Trump reacts to Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris: "Well, I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better … I was not a Taylor Swift fan … she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace." pic.twitter.com/J9Nk56nhEB
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 11, 2024
He continued: “It was just a question of time… You couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. You look at Biden—you couldn’t endorse him. But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay a price for it… in the marketplace. But no, I liked Brittany.”
Trump’s “marketplace” comment suggested that Swift might lose fans over her endorsement. However, this seems unlikely, as a Morning Consult poll from 2023 found that a majority of Swift’s fans lean Democratic.
As for Trump’s Brittany comments, he is likely referring to the fact that the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made headlines in recent weeks for subtly supporting Trump. Last month, netizens noticed that she liked (and later unliked) a Trump post on Instagram outlining his “2024 GOP Platform.” The post called for sealing the border, keeping “men out of women’s sports,” and not funding schools that teach critical race theory.