World
Cue ‘Bad Blood’: Donald Trump declares ‘HATE’ for Taylor Swift post-Kamala Harris endorsement
If it wasn’t already obvious, former President Donald Trump‘s latest all-caps confession on Truth Social has made his true feelings about pop star Taylor Swift crystal clear.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate fumed on his social media platform on Sunday, September 15. The unequivocally blunt expression of his disdain did not dive into any further elaborations.
However, as his fiery declaration of resentment toward the record-breaking artist comes after her official endorsement of Kamala Harris after Tuesday’s ABC News debate, little is left to the imagination about what could have provoked the former commander-in-chief’s savage announcement.
The Truth Social statement comes days after Trump set in stone that he was not a Taylor Swift fan. “I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It was just a question of time. She couldn’t possibly endorse Biden… But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” the ex-president said in an interview with Fox & Friends.
Taylor Swift speaks for Harris campaign + against Trump campaign
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift professed four days ago on Instagram.
The billionaire artist didn’t just take a stand by the Democratic presidential hopeful in her lengthy post; she also took aim at Trump.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around 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.”
Aftermath of Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris
Days after the megastar publicly announced her political stance, Trump’s campaign released Taylor Swift-inspired merchandise. Enraged Swifties unleashed their fury on social media, accusing the Republican presidential hopeful and his team of “ripping off” TS merch. Some fans claimed this situation warranted a lawsuit waiting to happen. Elsewhere, an admirer of Swift wrote on X/Twitter: “All this is gonna do is increase Swiftie registrations to vote for Kamala.”
Despite initial reports suggesting that Swift’s IG post had driven massive traffic to the voting registration site, not everyone from her fandom stood by her choice. Numerous Gen-Z Swifties turned their backs on her, as videos of people torching their Taylor Swift merch went viral online.
A recent much-circulated clip showed a mother doubling down on her verbal onslaught against the singer for supporting Kamala Harris. The “concerned mom” announced that she was selling three tickets to the songstress’ Toronto concert, which she had originally bought as a special gift for her daughter’s 13th birthday.
Politicians ride the Taylor Swift wave
In other interactions bridging the gap between Swift and the political discourse, the Harris-Walz campaign capitalised on the pop star’s endorsement of the Democrats. Soon after her Instagram confession, their official website started selling friendship bracelets—a symbolic allusion to Swifties making a tradition out of swapping these bands at the Eras Tour.
Additionally, the Democratic National Committee pushed for witty Taylor Swift-themed ads to be placed in Times Square and Las Vegas.
On Saturday, September 14, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz tapped into the TS, borrowing lyrics from the singer’s latest album “The Tortured Poets Department,” to slam the former president as “The Smallest Man” at an event in Superior, Wisconsin.
Au contraire, JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is another fellow member of the Taylor Swift hate club with Trump. While endorsing Harris on social media, the “Bad Blood” crooner signed off as “Childless Cat Lady,” taking a dig at Vance’s previous controversial remarks. Trump’s VP pick responded in kind with a counter-attack, censuring Taylor’s “billionaire celebrity” status.
“I don’t think most Americans — whether they like her music, are fans of hers or not — are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity, who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans,” the Ohio senator said in an interview on Fox News’ The Story. “When grocery prices go up by 20%, it hurts most Americans. It doesn’t hurt Taylor Swift.”