What snack were you eating when Taylor Swift broke the internet with her endorsement of Kamala Harris? For me it was Trader Joe’s popcorn. The superstar’s “childless cat lady” post on Instagram came hours after the presidential debate between Harris and Donald Trump, and Swift, in a graphic statement, said on Nov. On the same day, he declared his support for Harris. All the better if we were guided by calm rather than chaos in this country. ”
Swift’s comments marked a turning point in Harris’ presidential campaign against Trump. It’s not because, as a star-seeking society, we value the “Fortnite” singer’s political views more highly than political experts, but because her influence on any subject could potentially move mountains. Because it is.
If you need proof, just look at what happened in the weeks that followed. The Democratic National Committee has placed billboards across the country with lyrics inspired by Swift. A billboard in Times Square reads, “We are in the era of Kamala,” paying homage to the pop star’s record-breaking Elas Tour. Another message reads, “Are you ready for a new step forward?” Quotes the name of Swift’s hit song. The campaign also features Swift’s music at events and sells beaded friendship bracelets branded by Harris and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, which are popular at Swift concerts. (Minnesota’s governor actually wore stacks during a debate with J.D. Vance). They also created an “I will vote” Snapchat filter that Swifties on the Eras tour in Miami can use.
Whether she meant it or not, Swift has become a central figure in the Harris campaign. President Trump has even publicly stated that he hates Taylor Swift, so that’s understandable. And while the singer’s endorsement may have had the biggest impact on Harris’ election, she’s also the favorite of many, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Eminem, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and Charli XCX. He is led by music icons, all of whom have publicly supported him. Democratic Party candidate. Groups like Adele, Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters, and Prince and Sinead O’Connor indirectly supported Harris by blocking President Trump from using their music in his campaign. I am doing it. And a number of movie stars, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Kerry Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio, have also expressed support for Harris.
Just this Friday night, Beyoncé and Rowland made a grand appearance at a Harris rally in Houston, Texas, giving an impassioned speech in support of the candidate. “I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. The world my children and all our children live in, I A mother who cares deeply about the world we live in. Freedom to control our bodies, a world where we are not divided.” She gave Harris permission to use her hit song “Freedom” as her official campaign track. said the “Texas Hold’em” singer. But of course, it’s hard to separate Beyoncé, a mother of three, from Beyoncé, a global superstar, even when she’s talking about politics, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
“I think celebrity endorsements are very valuable to campaigns for[several]reasons,” one political strategist told me on condition of anonymity. “They are citizens just like the rest of us. The difference is they have a much bigger platform than most of us, so many of them don’t have the responsibility or responsibility to use their platform. I think they feel obligated, or even if they don’t feel responsible, they know they have an opportunity. If they speak up, it will be in the news and it will be discussed. .”
She explains that if campaigns use celebrity endorsements correctly, they can “help identify voters, recruit volunteers, and actually be very helpful in the ground fight.” She noted Beyoncé’s appearance at Harris’ event on Friday and said the campaign is “recruiting volunteers to help people identify polling places, get people’s contact information, and help people vote.” He said he would like to have an army of field organizers. She added: “This could potentially include thousands of potential supporters and potential volunteers. That’s a huge increase in ground combat capacity. That doesn’t include the news cycle, social media posts, or online talk.”
Celebrity endorsements can also help you connect with people who weren’t traditionally involved in politics. “Maybe you don’t care about politics, but your favorite musician just endorsed a candidate. Well, now you can Google that candidate and find out what they supported. We may learn more about why they are there,” the source said.
And the third reason? Well, money. She says: “The rich and famous have rich and famous friends who raise money for your campaign.”
Still, celebrity endorsements can have downsides, primarily for celebrities. Consider, for example, what happened to Chapel Lawn. Although relatively new to the music scene, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer has garnered a large and incredibly passionate audience, many of which are made up of fans from the LGBTQ+ community. So when she explained in an interview and subsequent TikTok video why she doesn’t support Harris despite voting blue (because she doesn’t agree with all of her policies), fans were extremely surprised. By refusing to endorse Harris, many argued that she was essentially endorsing Trump’s homophobic and transphobic views.
In Swift’s case, TikTok is entirely run by a bunch of white Republican women who are using their power to bash her for supporting the “wrong candidate.” And then there’s the other side, made up of Trump supporters and conservative fans who defend the right to be a Swiftie.
“Whether we like to admit it or not, we are a celebrity-obsessed culture,” says the political strategist. “If we didn’t care about celebrities, we wouldn’t care if they were involved in politics or not.”
Eminem’s support also shocked many. The main reason is that, despite being a proud and outspoken Democrat, his lyrics are sometimes as violent, sexist, and homophobic as those promoted by Trump and his MAGA supporters. This is because they were pushing out rhetoric. The rapper is aware of this, blaming it on his “poor white trash” upbringing, but remains steadfast in his criticism of Trump, previously comparing him to Adolf Hitler. “On October 19, 2016, the day of the third and final debate between President Trump and then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, a freestyle rap performance at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards. Eminem accused Trump of being a racist and a hypocrite in his 2018 song “Chloraseptic (Remix)” for being so vocally anti-Trump. He even admitted that he “effectively cut my motherly fan base in half,” but in reality, he didn’t care.
“I think celebrities can be in a double bind depending on their relationship with their fans,” says the political strategist. “Taylor Swift’s conservative fans would be overjoyed if she supported Trump. They don’t actually think she should be involved in politics, and they don’t think she should be involved in politics. They’re just angry that they don’t support them and feel betrayed by the parasocial nature of much of modern fandom.”
“On the other hand,” she added. “It is not surprising that Chapel Lawn’s majority queer fan base reacted negatively to Chapel Lawn’s initial failure to endorse Harris this year. Even though he has made some thoughtful points, this is a community that is under attack (the queer community) and understandably feels very threatened by the prospect of a second Trump presidency. So, understandably, they want their leaders, celebrities, and community icons to stand alongside them.”
As with all things for people in the public eye, influence comes with power and consequences. Swift’s support was explosive. Because her fans have been begging her for years to speak out about politics and world issues, and she hasn’t. They asked Beyoncé the same thing, but Beyoncé carefully stayed out of the conversation in the Harris-Trump race until 11 days before Election Day.
When I discussed this topic with colleagues, the phrase “damned if they do it, damned if they don’t” seemed to be the general consensus. In an election so critical for women, immigrants, and humanity as a whole, can we really accuse the entertainers we admire of destroying character to remind us that they are human beings and that we care?
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