Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president following her pivotal debate with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, calling Harris a “steadfast and talented leader.”
“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President in 2024,” Swift wrote on Instagram to her more than 283 million followers. “I am voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes we deserve and I believe she needs a warrior to defend them. I think she is a solid and talented leader and I believe this country can accomplish so much more if it is led by calm instead of chaos.”
Swift also said she was “encouraged and inspired” by Harris’ choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, praising him as a “champion of LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and women’s body ownership for decades.”
“I’ve done my research and I’ve made my choice,” the Grammy-winning artist added. “The research is all up to you and the choice is yours. And I want to say, especially to those voting for the first time, remember that you still need to register to vote! And I think voting early is a lot easier. I’ll link in the story where you can register and early voting dates and information.”
Swift, 34, signed her post “childfree cat woman,” a play on the term used by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s running mate, to describe women without children. She attached a photo of herself holding her cat, Benjamin Button, who has appeared on the cover of Time magazine with Swift.
Swift’s endorsement came as a surprise to the Harris campaign, two campaign aides told NBC News, and the campaign said it was part of Harris’ “decisive victory” in the debate and speaks to her ability to rally support, one of the aides said.
The endorsement was widely expected. Swift endorsed President Joe Biden and Ms Harris in the 2020 presidential election. Swift gave permission for the Biden-Harris campaign to use her song “Only the Young” in their ads during the 2020 election.
Swift used to stay quiet about American politics, but she has been more vocal since the release of the 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” which chronicled her behind-the-scenes battle to publicly denounce then-Congresswoman Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Swift endorsed Blackburn’s opponent, Phil Bredesen.
Blackburn ultimately won, but Swift’s Instagram posts encouraging people to register to vote helped spur more voter turnout among young people, Vote.org said at the time.
A national poll conducted by NBC News in November found that 40% of voters have a favorable view of Swift, while 16% have an unfavorable view. A majority of Democrats (53%) view Swift favorably, along with 28% of Republicans.
In an Instagram post, Swift criticized social media users who spread artificial intelligence-generated images that falsely portrayed her as endorsing candidate Trump Vance, who shared the images in a series on his Truth social platform.
“I recently learned that an AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump for president was posted on his site. It really brought back my fears about AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said. “This incident has led me to the conclusion that as a voter, I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election. The easiest way to combat misinformation is to tell the truth.”
“Swifties for Kamala,” a fan group with no official affiliation to either woman, said they were “thrilled.”
“We knew the time was right for Taylor to make her endorsement and we’re excited about the momentum she will bring to the campaign,” group co-founder Eileen Kim said in a statement.
After the debate, as Trump entered the “spin room,” he was asked what he thought about reports that Swift had endorsed his opponent. The Republican candidate replied, “I have no idea.”
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
With contributions from Kalhan Rosenblatt, Hallie Jackson, Monica Alba, Raquel Coronell Uribe and Doha Madani.
