Former President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with renowned singer Taylor Swift on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying bluntly, “I hate Taylor Swift.” Trump’s succinct, all-caps declaration lacked any elaboration, but its timing suggests it was a response to Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.
Swift’s support for Harris came shortly after the vice president debated with Trump, which many observers believed Trump lost. Taking to Instagram, the pop star extended her backing for Harris, saying that she would be voting for his Democratic rival, calling Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader.”
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 15, 2024
Celebrity endorsements rarely carry enormous weight, but the hugely popular Swift is seen as being in a class of her own, with more than 100 million followers on social-media – 10 million of whom “liked” her Instagram post.
It was not clear what Trump hoped to gain by attacking Swift, though he may calculate that any publicity is better than none.
Trump initially had dismissed Swift’s endorsement of Harris by simply saying he was “not a Taylor fan.”
But since then, with public opinion polls showing Harris gaining significant ground on Trump in what is expected to be a close Nov. 5 presidential election, the former president has ratcheted up his rhetoric against one of the most successful recording artists in history.
Swift’s backing of Harris has drawn over 9 million “likes” to her Instagram post, fueling speculation that it could boost the Democrat’s chances of winning the presidential election.
With inputs from agencies.