FIRST BEYONCE NOW....
Taylor Swift endorses Harris, invoking Vance’s ‘childless cat lady’ insult on women
Global megastar breaks her silence on US presidential race, calling VP a ‘steady-handed, gifted leader’ while dismissing AI-generated images of her falsely endorsing Trump
NEW YORK (AFP) – Taylor Swift, a self-declared “childless cat lady,” has endorsed Kamala Harris for president of the United States.
The global megastar broke her silence on the current state of US politics Tuesday, voicing support for Harris over Donald Trump for the White House, and calling the Democratic candidate a “steady-handed, gifted leader.”
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift, among the biggest names on the planet, posted on Instagram.
She did so in the minutes following a televised presidential debate that saw the candidates face off for the first time, which the singer said she tuned in to.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote. “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.”
She signed off her Instagram post by dubbing herself a “childless cat lady,” a swipe at a much-mocked sentiment expressed by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, which he had wielded in a bid to insult Democratic women.
Until Tuesday, Swift had been conspicuously quiet on the subject of 2024’s race, even as many of her fans began organizing under the banner “Swifties for Kamala” and raising more than $150,000 for the Democratic hopeful.
But the 34-year-old said discovering AI-generated images of her falsely endorsing Trump — which “conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said — had inspired her to speak up.
“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” she said. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
She encouraged her legions of loyal fans to “do your research.”
Swift, fresh off the European leg of her blockbuster “Eras” tour, balked at explicitly telling her ardent supporters to vote Harris, instead saying “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.”
She also shared the post to her Instagram “stories” with a voter registration link.
The artist voiced special support for Harris’s choice of a running mate, Tim Walz, praising the Minnesota governor for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Team Harris has been quick to latch on to any boost she can get from the pop world, which generally skews left, and several stars have publicly backed her.
Beyonce has not outright endorsed the Democrat but she allowed the Harris camp to use her song “Freedom” in advertisements and on the campaign trail.
And British artist Charli XCX saw her smash album “brat” become core to the early online Harris campaign, as the Democrats vie to stay current on social media’s pulse.
‘With love and hope’
But until now, Swift hadn’t chimed in.
A global celebrity with hundreds of millions of social media followers and a wildly loyal — and chronically online — fan base, Swift’s influence is vast and her approval coveted.
For years the “Blank Space” singer stayed emphatically out of politics, including in 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidency.
Speculation abounded that the superstar was a closet Republican until 2018, when she broke both her silence and the internet by endorsing the Democratic opponent of far-right politician Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.
Blackburn won anyway, but it ushered in a new chapter for Swift.
She later explained that handlers had urged her against voicing political opinions, telling her it could damage her career — particularly in the country music industry, which despite its complexities is often associated with conservatism.
Since then, Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and has conveyed pro-LGBTQ messages through her songs and music videos.
She also condemned the Supreme Court’s reversal of the federal right to abortion, and has encouraged droves of her fans to register to vote.
But Swift’s massive popularity has also meant she’s a regular target for political misinformation and right-wing conspiracy theories, often fueled by AI and amplified by the likes of Trump.
Speaking out on her own terms gripped the news cycle within seconds of going live Tuesday night, and her post notched more than two million “likes” after just 30 minutes.
“With love and hope, Taylor Swift,” she concluded her message.
Maddow Interrupts Live Interview With
Walz to Tell Him About Taylor Swift
Endorsement
The Minnesota governor grinned from ear to ear as Swift’s statement was read out in full on air.
Dan Ladden-Hall
News Correspondent
Sep. 11, 2024
Maddow Interrupts Live Interview With Walz to Tell Him About Taylor Swift Endorsement
MSNBC
Tim Walz apparently found out that he and Kamala Harris had received Taylor Swift’s endorsement while he was in the middle of a live television interview Tuesday night.
The Minnesota governor was on MSNBC reacting to Harris’ first debate with Donald Trump when host Rachel Maddow said she’d just been handed something as they were talking. “I don’t think you know about this,” Maddow said. “But this was just posted online by a woman you might have heard of whose name is Taylor Swift.”
Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris in Post-Debate Mic Drop
STAKING HER CLAIM
Josh Fiallo
Maddow then proceeded to read the statement Swift had posted on her Instagram account along with a picture of her holding Benjamin Button, one of her three cats. The pop music icon wrote that she’d been concerned by AI-generated images purporting to show her endorsing Trump’s campaign, clarifying that she would actually be casting her vote for Harris.
Swift also used the post to say she’d been “heartened and impressed” with Walz—highlighting in part his support for “a woman’s right to her own body”—while taking a shot at Trump’s VP pick, JD Vance, by signing off the message with: “Childless Cat Lady.”
As Maddow began to read the text, Walz beamed as a chyron flashed on screen reading “TAYLOR SWIFT ENDORSES HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT.” He also put his hand on his heart in a gesture of gratitude when Maddow read the line which made it clear that Swift would be voting for him and Harris.
“I have to get your response to that, Mr. Governor,” Maddow said when she’d finished reading the statement.
“Wow!” Walz said. “All those things—I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner.”
“Look, Swifties, you heard it,” he continued. “We know that it’s there. That was eloquent and it was clear. And that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up. We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC. We’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there ’cause they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy.”
“And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift coming out, making that very clear,” Walz said. “This’d be the opportunity, Swifties. Kamala Harris dot com—get on over there, give us a hand, get things going!”
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