Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris in 2024 election, Trump responds

Fourteen-time Grammy award-winning recording artist and international pop icon Taylor Swift made a rare political statement on Monday night, which was a big one. Deploying her Instagram account, which has over 283 million followers, she came out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency, and against former President Donald Trump. She used a pointed image—a glamor shot, originally taken for her TIME magazine “Person of the Year” spread, including one of her pet cats, Benjamin Button.

The fact that Swift is a cat owner and also does not have children places her in a group that has been tarnished by J.D. Vance, the opposing vice presidential candidate, who has mocked “childless cat ladies.” Indeed, Swift’s lengthy caption concludes with “Childless Cat Lady.”

Swift, whose concert appearances have had demonstrative effects on local economies, is rare to go off-book with a political statement like this. Indeed, the fact that she doesn’t do it more frequently is a constant criticism for some. The 2020 documentary “Miss Americana” included a scene in which her management, including her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, tried to dissuade her from making statements against Trump and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn.

Swift and team hit “post” on the Instagram story just after Trump and Harris concluded their first (and potentially only) televised debate at the National Constitution Center museum in Philadelphia. (Cats came up during the back-and-forth. Trump seems to think that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, which has no known basis in fact, but led to a cavalcade of “Simpsons”-related jokes online.) 

Swift’s comments are quoted below in full. The next stop on her “Eras Tour,” which has already grossed over $1 billion, is the Rogers Centre in Toronto in a little over one month.

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.

Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.

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. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.

I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.

With love and hope, 

Taylor Swift

Childless Cat Lady

Trump, for his part, didn’t take long to attack Swift for the diss. Appearing on “Fox and Friends” via phone on Wednesday morning, the former president said he preferred Swift’s acquaintance Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (Brittany Mahomes “liked” one of Trump’s Instagram posts over the summer, a passive endorsement that left many online furious. Swift was later criticized online for embracing Brittany Mahomes during the U.S. Open this past weekend.)

“Well I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better. If you want to know the truth. She’s a big Trump fan. I was not a Taylor Swift fan,” Trump said on Wednesday morning. “It was only a matter of time. You couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace. But I Like Britanny. Britanny is great. She’s the one I like much better than Taylor Swift. Wife of the great quarterback. I think she’s terrific.”