Taylor Swift has made a rare political endorsement, telling the world that she will be voting for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the US presidential election. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to stand up for,” Swift wrote. “I think he’s a steady, gifted leader, and I believe we can do a lot more in this country if we lead with calm and not chaos.” You can find Swift’s full statement below.
Swift made her announcement following tonight’s presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. It also comes after months of speculation over whether he would officially throw his support behind the presidential candidate after choosing not to speak publicly during the 2016 and 2020 election cycles. In fact, Swift had confirmed specific candidates in only one previous instance; In 2018, he threw his support behind two Democratic candidates in Tennessee. (“I have always cast my vote and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” he wrote at the time. However, Swift has supported various causes and legislation, such as the Equality Act and the March for Our Lives.
In a statement tonight, Swift addressed Trump’s false claims that she endorsed him for president. “Recently I was informed that an artificial intelligence of ‘I’ giving false endorsement to Donald Trump’s presidential election has been posted on his website,” he wrote. “It really raised my fears about the dangers of artificial intelligence and the spread of disinformation. This has led me to the conclusion that as a voter I need to be very transparent about my current plans for this election. The simplest way to combat misinformation is the truth.”
Swift shared her endorsement on her Instagram page, where she has more than 283 million followers. She prominently posted her message with a photo of herself and one of her favorite cats. During tonight’s debate, Trump made false statements about immigrants in Ohio eating pet cats and dogs, and his Republican running mate, Ohio Sen. J. Reiterating the phrase, Swift, who has no children and several pet cats, signed her caption, “Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.”
By: The New York TimesTrump campaign spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt responded to Swift’s endorsement of Harris, calling it “more evidence that the Democratic Party has become the party of the wealthy elite.”