Taylor Swift has officially endorsed Kamala Harris after the candidate's debate with Donald Trump, following the ABC-hosted debate with a powerful message she posted to her Instagram Story — saying the vice president “fights for rights and causes that I think need a warrior to fight for. I think she's a steady and talented leader and I think we can accomplish so much more in this country if we have calm leadership and not chaos.”
“Like many of you, I watched tonight’s debate,” Swift wrote. “If you haven’t already, now is a good time to do your research on the issues being discussed and the positions these candidates take on the issues that matter most to you. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their policies and proposed plans for this country.”
“I recently learned that an AI that depicted me falsely endorsing Donald Trump for president was posted on his site,” she continued. “That really raised my concerns about AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation. 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.”
“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election,” Swift continued. “I am voting for @kamalaharris because she is fighting for rights and issues that I believe need a warrior to fight for. I think she is a talented and steady leader and I think we can accomplish so much more in this country if we have calm leadership and not chaos. I am encouraged and impressed by her choice of her running mate @timwalz, who has been advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and women’s rights to their own bodies for decades.”
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my decision,” she concluded. “The research is up to you, and the choice is up to you. I also want to say, especially to first-time voters: Remember, in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it much easier to vote early. I’ll put a link to where to register and find early voting dates and information in my story.”
“With love and hope,” she signed the letter, “Taylor Swift…the cat lady who has no children.”
The post was accompanied by a photo of Swift with one of her cats, Benjamin Button, from the photoshoot she did when Time magazine named her Person of the Year last December. Swift captioned the photo, “Childless cat lady,” a dig at Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance's sarcastic comment about the demographic being one of the most important in the Democratic Party.
The endorsement came less than a half-hour after the debate ended. Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz had a chance to respond quickly, as he was on air when Swift’s letter went out to the world, with Rachel Maddow reading it to him midway through the interview on MSNBC.
“I'm so grateful to Taylor Swift,” Walls said after Maddow read him the song. “This is going to be the opportunity, Swifties.”
Fans of the singer will recall that Swift endorsed the Joe Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 on the day of Harris' debate with Mike Pence, saying she intended to “scream at the TV” in support of Harris.
Swift’s intentions in the election cycle were a national topic of debate even before Harris took over the leadership role in July. In past years when Swift has made a decisive electoral statement — from the 2018 congressional race in Tennessee to the 2020 presidential race — she has typically waited until early October to come out with a strong statement endorsing the Democratic nominee. This time, she didn’t wait for an “October surprise” and came out with her endorsement a month earlier than she has in the past.
Some wondered if Swift would immediately respond when Trump took to social media to “accept” the singer's supposed endorsement after his supporters posted mostly fake photos of “Swifties for Trump” activists, but the star has held off on her attack so far.
The term has been widely adopted as a term of endearment rather than a nickname, especially by Swift's fans.
Although the singer has remained quiet so far, many of her fans have assumed that her support for Harris is coming — and with or without Swift leading the campaign, they have formed the group Swifties 4 Harris. A Zoom call organized by the group, which included politicians such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and singer Carole King, has raised more than $100,000 for the Harris-Walz campaign.
