Taylor Swift’s refusal to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris shows the pop star has grown “cynical” and that the world of politics may just be one of her fleeting moments, a Variety reporter argues in a new feature article.
Daniel D’Addario, chief reporter for the Hollywood trade paper, argued that the pop superstar’s relative silence about this year’s presidential election was unusual.
“The idea of her continuing to remain silent seems to make her history of speaking out when it’s convenient for her look cynical,” Daddario wrote.
“It would be a shame if her involvement in politics was simply a passing phase and she intended to move on from there.”
Swift supported two Democratic candidates in Tennessee, where she moved at age 14, ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, and backed Joe Biden in 2020.
She released the album “Lover” in 2019, which included lyrics in support of LGBTQ issues, but critics argued that the Easter eggs were ambiguous and unsatisfying.
But Swift has remained conspicuously silent about the White House race, despite being in a very public relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
Over the weekend, she was spotted getting cozy with Brittany Mahomes after Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes’ wife liked an Instagram post by Donald Trump in August, and Trump returned the favor.
She was uncharacteristically silent when President Trump posted an AI-generated image of her implied support for him earlier this year, but as a Variety reporter wrote, “she is unusually protective of her image, even by celebrity standards.”
“There is very little the world’s most famous performers do without intention or forethought,” D’Addario writes.
“Her Erastus tour is scheduled to continue through December after the election, and it’s not unreasonable to think that there is some risk involved for Swift to speak out about what is expected to be a hotly contested election.”
After authorities thwarted a plot to attack Swift during her show in Vienna, Swift posted on Instagram that she would “not say anything publicly if I believe it may incite people to seek to harm fans attending my shows.”
Daddario noted that Swift’s decision to wade into politics, as seen in the 2020 feature-length documentary “Miss Americana,” came at a time when her career was “very fluid.”
“Having gone from being a major artist to being one of the biggest artists in the history of recorded music, Swift is now at even greater risk,” D’Addario wrote.
Swift spoke out against the ruling party in 2020, but now she’ll have to defend it, which would likely be “unacceptable” behavior, Variety’s reporter argued.
He also argued that it’s unclear how much help celebrity endorsements will be, since Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 despite having a star-studded field.
Swift may voice her support for Harris, who endorsed Biden in early October.
“From one angle, it seems like Swift has no more responsibility than other public figures to speak out. Perhaps one might argue that she has a responsibility to remain silent,” Daddario said.