Last week, minutes after the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ended, the singer Taylor Swift posted a long message on Instagram announcing her support for the Democratic candidate, as well as a link to a website to encourage young voters to register.
Additionally, Swift included a photo of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and signed the message as "Childless Cat Lady," a reference to the 2021 comments made by J.D. Vance, Trump's running mate, about how women without children actually have no interest in the future of the country and mentioned Harris.
This is not the first time Swift has gotten involved in politics, but it puts an end to months of speculation after Republicans tried to insinuate with false information that the artist would support Trump.
Why did Taylor Swift choose Kamala Harris?
In her post, Swift said she would vote for Harris because "she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to defend them."
Pero además agregó que su respaldo también fue motivado por la decisión del candidato republicano de publicar imágenes generadas por inteligencia artificial que sugerían que ella lo había respaldado. Las publicaciones de Trump “me llevaron a la conclusión de que necesito ser muy transparente sobre mis planes reales para estas elecciones como votante”, escribió Swift.
In response, Trump told FOX on Wednesday that Swift is "a very liberal person" who "seems to always endorse a Democrat and will probably pay a price in the market".
Did Harris' campaign know about this endorsement?
Swift did not coordinate her endorsement with the Harris campaign, according to two senior campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, appeared surprised by the news when it was presented to him during an interview with MSNBC.
However, even though Harris' team says the publication was not coordinated, they were prepared for the eventuality and within minutes they replicated the message on the campaign channels and launched a Harris-Walz friendship bracelet in the style of Swift in their store, which quickly sold out.
When did Swift start expressing his political positions?
The artist broke her long-standing refusal to talk about politics for the first time in 2018 by supporting the Democratic candidate for the Senate of Tennessee at that time, Phil Bredesen, who was running against the Republican Marsha Blackburn.
Swift, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, criticized the Republican opposition to certain LGBTQ+ rights and their vote against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013.
Blackburn finally won the elections in conservative Tennessee, but the endorsement consolidated Swift as an influential political force.
In 2020, Taylor Swift supported Democrat Joe Biden and openly criticized Trump, stating that he had fueled "the fires of white supremacy and racism."
What motivated Swift's change?
The 2020 Netflix documentary "Miss Americana" captured several dramatic turning points for Swift, but one of the most revealing involved behind-the-scenes conversations she was having with her family before speaking out against Blackburn in the 2018 Senate race.
Her father warned of a possible economic impact and security concerns. And her publicist said that Trump could go after her.
"I am saying right now that this is something I know is right. I need to be on the right side of history," Swift told her team.
In the movie, Swift said that her desire to get into politics was sparked after she successfully countersued a Denver DJ who, she claimed, groped her during a meeting before a concert.