Taylor Swift and the New Era of Political Endorsements

Donald Trump is infamous for his social media presence. From late-night proclamations about his sky-high intellect to lies about the 2020 Presidential Election being“stolen,” the former President is an unpredictable yet incredibly influential force online. Despite his usually baffling messaging, Trump still managed to catch his followers off-guard in late August when his Truth Social account posted a collage of billionaire singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift.

“TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP” read an image of Swift posing as Uncle Sam.  Other images of Swift fans sporting “Women for Trump” merchandise complemented a message from Trump himself: “I accept!” The post, which clearly intended to claim that Swift had pledged her support for Trump, took the social media world by storm in minutes. Experts soon discovered that every image in the post was generated by A.I.  Ironically, the whole fiasco pushed Swift to endorse Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House weeks later. 

This confusing episode poses an important question: what could have possibly spurred Trump to post those images in the first place? After all, Trump and Swift have had their fair share of disagreements in the past. After Swift publicly endorsed two Democratic politicians from Tennessee in 2018, Trump remarked to reporters, “I like Taylor Swift’s music 25 percent less now.” The relationship between politicians and celebrities has transformed to fit a digital age. Today, neutral stances like that of basketball legend Michael Jordan are rare—when questioned on his political status, Jordan quipped, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Instead, Billboard musicians and championship athletes lend their star power towards supporting a wide variety of political campaigns, as political neutrality increasingly implies cowardice. Today, celebrity endorsements hold tremendous power: they can drive voter turnout and motivate otherwise disinterested groups into caring about an election. 

Swift herself is a key example of a politically active celebrity. Since her 2018 Instagram post endorsing Democratic candidates Phil Bresden for the Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, Swift has both endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election and condemned Trump and members of the GOP. Her official Harris endorsement post even was signed as “Childless Cat Lady,” a clear jab at Senator and Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s comments.

Colloquially referred to as “Swifities,” Swift’s millions of largely young, female fans give her not just fame but political power. About 41 million members of Generation Z (those born between 1997-2012) can cast ballots in November, so young people are a key voting bloc this year. In modern elections, where winning margins are small and unpredictable, each of those votes matters. Her most dedicated fans notwithstanding, a 2023 NBC News poll reported that Swift is regarded favorably or neutrally by nearly 80 percent of Americans.  We already know her support for Harris holds influence: within twenty-four hours of Swift’s Harris-endorsing post on Instagram, nearly 340,000 people visited vote.org, a voting registration website using a Swift-branded custom link.  

While Harris has found a powerful ally in Swift as well as other celebrities such as basketball star Steph Curry, singer Beyoncé, and actor Matt Damon, Trump too has collected influential endorsements. An obvious example is the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, whose support recently earned him an on-stage appearance at one of Trump’s rallies. Thanks to Trump endorsers, the male youth vote ( historically won by Democrats) tilts in Trump’s favor. TikTok star Bryce Hall, who holds nearly 24 million followers, and professional wrestler Logan Paul, whose YouTube channel holds over 23 million subscribers, enjoy relationships with Trump, too. Through relationships with social media stars, Trump was able to connect with a key demographic for this November.

Placing these professional athletes, singers, and actors on such a coveted political pedestal may prove dangerous. While many politically active celebrities are among the best in their respective fields, their political opinions should count no more than any other citizen’s.  Yes, Taylor Swift is beloved for her songwriting and Elon Musk is an accomplished businessman. Neither of them have political experiences, though, so why should their voices influence the votes of so many? Exercise caution when letting unqualified celebrities  sway your decisions.  If the opinions of a handful of singers, actors, and athletes determine the votes of millions, a democracy is hardly healthy. All celebrities need to do is entertain—not provide political expertise to uncritical voters. Taking away from voters’ personal engagement and input in elections is antithetical to the idea of voting itself. Younger voters must look beyond the fan bases of Trump and Harris when it comes time to step in the voting booth.