Democrats are embracing Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, calling the megastar’s backing “huge” for her campaign — while some Republicans have been quick to dismiss it, and others have warned her against alienating Donald Trump voters.
By Niha Masih
and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, said as he learned the news live on MSNBC, “That’s the type of courage we need in America.” Patting his heart and grinning, Walz said he was “incredibly grateful” to Swift for her “eloquent” and “clear” message. Walz called on Swifties — as fans of the pop star are known — to “give us a hand, get things going.”
Swift’s endorsement post racked up nearly 2.5 million likes within a half-hour as reactions poured in. It was shared more than 1 million times within six hours.
Swift’s fans could become a force in the presidential election. The singer and performer has surged in popularity and is viewed increasingly favorably by most American men, women and Democrats, and her favorability has improved since the last election cycle among independents and Republicans. In a May poll, 1 in 10 women, Americans under 35 and independents said that a Swift endorsement might influence their vote at least a little — and as The Washington Post’s Philip Bump previously wrote in a column, “This is probably overstated, but a Swiftian nudge would not do nothing.”
“She is a cultural icon,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told reporters about Swift after the debate. He warned Trump to disparage Swift’s endorsement “at your own peril.”
“Her speaking out is a big darn deal,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). “... That’s a huge endorsement.”
Trump — who initially said “I have no idea” in response to a question about Swift’s endorsement of his rival — said the singer is a “very liberal person” and suggested that her political moves would cost her sales. “She’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” Trump said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.”
Brian Hughes, the Trump campaign’s spokesman, earlier declined to comment on Swift’s endorsement, saying, “I’m not a teeny-bopper.”
Trump also said he prefers the partner of another football player, whom he called “Mrs. Mahomes.” Trump was referring to Brittany Mahomes, who is married to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and has reportedly liked some social media comments and posts that were supportive of Trump. Mahomes is a close friend and teammate of Travis Kelce, whom Swift is dating.
Conservative media personality Megyn Kelly called Swift’s endorsement “disgusting” and predicted that it would cost her support among Republicans. “You can kiss your sales to the Republican audience goodbye, Taylor. Hope you enjoyed them while you had them,” she said on “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he liked Swift’s music but wanted “to live in a world where liberals make my art and conservatives make my laws.”
Former Dallas County GOP chair Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu questioned how many of Swift’s fans vote and said on local ABC affiliate television station WFAA, “I don’t think that a pop star or Hollywood is going to be a big factor in this election.”
In 2020, Swift endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket, and many of her fans had been waiting to see whether the pop star would back Harris in this election. Swifties had already been lining up behind Harris even before the endorsement. More than 34,000 joined the “Swifties for Kamala” call in August and raised more than $122,000.
The account Swifties for Kamala, which has more than 77,000 followers on X, said it was “thrilled” about Swift’s endorsement. “We never doubted Taylor would endorse at the right time because we know that her values align with Harris and our community,” the group posted.
Alongside her endorsement, Swift posted a photo of herself with her cat Benjamin Button and signed off as a “childless cat lady” — embracing the phrase that Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), has used to criticize people without children.
Democrats hailed the timing of the announcement, which followed what they described as a strong debate performance by Harris. MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell called it “the most important celebrity endorsement” he had ever seen, given the tight race. “The timing on it is absolutely exquisite. The wording of it is flawless,” he said on air.
Praising Harris’s debate performance, late-night host Stephen Colbert said that nothing could have made Tuesday night any better for the vice president. But after playing a clip of Swift’s endorsement news, he added: “I stand corrected.”
Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.
