Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid on Tuesday night. high value discussions former President Donald Trump called the Democratic candidate a “steady-handed, talented leader.”
“I’m voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walsh in the 2024 presidential election,” Swift said in a post to her more than 283 million Instagram followers. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for rights and I believe it takes a warrior to stand up for them. I think she’s a strong-armed, talented leader and I believe we can achieve more in this country if we do. not chaos, but calm rules.”
Swift later said she was “heartened and touched” by Harris’ choice of Minnesota governor Tim Waltz as her running mate, praising him as a champion of “LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and women’s right to own their own bodies for decades.” ”
“I did my research and I made my choice,” said the Grammy Award-winning artist. “Your research is yours and the choice is yours. I also want to say, especially to first-time voters: Remember, you have to register to vote! I also think it’s easier to vote. I have early registration locations and early voting dates and information in my story. I will find it.”
Swift, 34, signed the caption, “Childless Cat Lady.” Language used by Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio depicting women without children. Swift added a photo of herself holding her cat, Benjamin Buttondecorated the cover of Time magazine together with the singer.
Swift’s endorsement came as a surprise to the Harris campaign, two campaign officials told NBC News. The campaign sees the singer’s endorsement as part of the vice president’s “decisive victory” on the debate stage and speaks to his ability to rally support, one of the officials said.
The approval was long overdue. Swift has thrown her support behind President Joe Biden and Harris during the 2020 presidential election. Swift allowed the Biden-Harris campaign to use “Only Young” in an ad during the 2020 cycle.
Swift once shied away from paying attention to American politics. But with the release of the documentary Miss Americana in 2020, she became more vocal. The film chronicles his behind-the-scenes struggle to publicly denounce then-House Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. He endorsed Blackburn’s Senate opponent, Phil Bredesen.
Blackburn ultimately won the race, but Swift’s wave of youth activism on Instagram encouraging people to register to vote, Vote.org reported on this at that time.
In November A National NBC News survey It was determined that 40% of registered voters have a positive view of Swift, and 16% have a negative view. The majority of Democrats (53%) viewed him positively, while 28% of Republicans agreed.
In her Instagram post, Swift also criticized social media users circulation images generated by artificial intelligence falsely He announced his endorsement of the Trump-Vance ticket. Trump shared some of those images on his Truth Social platform.
“I was recently informed that an AI falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy was posted on his website. It really brought to mind my fears about AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” he said. “This has led me to the conclusion that as a voter I must be very transparent about my real plans for this election. The simplest way to combat disinformation is the truth.”
Swifties for Kamala, a group of fans who have no official connection to either woman, said they were “flabbergasted”.
“We had no doubt Taylor would step up at the right time, and we’re excited about the momentum she’ll bring to this campaign,” the group’s co-founder Irene Kim said in a statement.
Trump was asked to react to news of Swift’s endorsement of his opponent after entering the “spin room” after the debate. “I have no idea,” the GOP candidate said in response.
This is an evolving story. Please check for updates.
Kalhan Rosenblatt, Hallie Jackson, Monica Alba, Raquel Coronell Uribe and Doha Madani contributed.