 "'Made my choice': Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris shortly after US presidential debate")
American singing sensation Taylor Swift has endorsed, US Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 US Presidential Election. Swift’s endorsement came shortly after Harris went head-to-head against Former US President Donald Trump in her first US Presidential debate.
Swift took to Instagram to express her support for Harris. Over the years the singer’s endorsement has been watched closely because of her huge fan base, fondly called “Swifties”. “Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country,” Taylor said in her Instagram post.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” she furthered.
The 35-year-old singer went on to laud Minnesota Governor and Harris’ running mate Tim Walz for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body decisions.”
‘Childless Cat Lady’
She posted her endorsement with a photograph she took with her cat, Benjamin Button, from her TIME Person of the Year spread in December.
It can be considered as a subtle allusion to the liberal backlash to a 2021 quote by Republican vice presidential candidate Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The VP pick for former US President Donald Trump referred to some of the female Democratic party leaders, including Harris as “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.”
Why Swift’s endorsement matter?
The singer’s endorsement was much anticipated since this is not the first time she endorsed a presidential candidate before the polls. Swift embraced a more political posture in recent years and has been vocal on several issues such as access to abortion. The timing of the endorsement also came as a surprise.
Swift is one of the few celebrities with broad appeal. Her ongoing romance with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce has also made her popular among American football fans. The singer joins the list of several celebrities who have endorsed Harris. The list included singers John Legend and Olivia Rodrigo, actor George Clooney and director Spike Lee.
Meanwhile, public figures like former wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV star Amber Rose and billionaire Elon Musk have endorsed Trump. It is important to note that this is not the first time the pop star has endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee in the race against Trump. In 2020, Swift announced her support for US President Joe Biden while Harris was his running mate.
Swift has also openly criticised the Trump administration during the nationwide protests that broke found following the police murder of George Floyd. “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she posted on Twitter/X. “We will vote you out in November.”
The singer’s endorsement is significant when it comes to the eyeballs it garners. Swift has 283 million followers on Instagram. In just a short span of time, Taylor’s endorsement post has already garnered over two million likes. In her post, Swift urged first-time voters, a huge share of her fanbase, to register and vote.
Meanwhile, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, dismissed the endorsement by saying that the endorsement is “more evidence that the Democrat party has become the party of the wealthy elite.”
This is a developing story.
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