by Julia Mazza
Even as Kamala Harris continues to make history, Taylor Swift continues to stay, stay, stay in the headlines. News outlets from Newsweek to New York Magazine can’t help themselves but to question: will she or won’t she endorse Harris?
Swift has yet to make such an endorsement for Kamala Harris, though she did allow her music to be used during the DNC’s roll call. For Swifties with magnifying glasses, this could be seen as a wink, hinting at a potential endorsement down the line. Yet, the day before the convention’s roll call, Donald Trump briefly grabbed the attention of Swift’s fan base by posting AI-generated images of young women in “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts on Truth Social. The post even included an “I want YOU” poster featuring Swift in Uncle Sam attire, suggesting he had her support.
When asked for comment, Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung claimed, “‘Swifties for Trump’ is a massive movement that grows bigger every single day.”
But how accurate is this? And will Taylor Swift endorse Harris?
Sure, while the “Swifties For Trump” enjoyed a spike in followers on X (formerly Twitter), reaching 16.7k followers after Trump’s Truth Social post, it still pales in comparison to the “Swifties For Kamala” accounts, which boast 43.3k followers on Instagram and 65k on X. Additionally, engagement on @Swifties4Kamala posts is significantly higher. (As of writing, @TrumpSwiftie has no presence on Instagram.)
Since Kamala took over the ticket, the American people have seen an election based on vibes — the Harris-Walz campaign has been defined by joy and hope while the Trump-Vance campaign oozes of gloom and “weirdness.” Similarly, the vibes of each account mirror the tone of each campaign.
Scrolling through @SwftieTrump’s feed, the creator, currently anonymous, has yet to post content tailored to the pop singer’s fanbase. There’s not a single Taylor Swift lyric to be found, except the occasional reference that “karma” is coming for Democratic officials. Instead, her posts are vitriolic, and she frequently reposts conspiracy theories from MAGA influencers. In a direct contrast, @Swifties4Kamala produces content reminiscent of the good vibes of Swift’s album Lover, or the joy of Harris’ rallies. Each post features a reference to Taylor Swift’s lyrics, often linking them to the rally speeches made by Harris and Walz.
While @TrumpSwiftie’s rhetoric is inflammatory and divisive, she makes it clear she does not want division among the fanbase— or to pressure Taylor to speak out politically.
“We don’t have to share her political views to appreciate her talent,” she writes, “And what is right for Taylor, is not necessarily what is right for us.”
But @TrumpSwiftie’s political activism stops at the keyboard. Last week, “Swifties for Kamala,” lead by Swifties Emerald Medrano and Irene Kim, held what was the latest in a series of identity-based Zoom calls, raising over $144,000, encouraging fans to register to vote, and educating on the best ways to help the Harris-Walz campaign as a volunteer. Elizabeth Warren even joined the call to praise Swifites for their resiliency, while Carole King treated fans to a “secret song.” Answering Kamala’s “we like hard work!” call, the @Swifties4Kamala team’s activism will continue through election day—with or without Taylor’s endorsement.
It’s worth noting that Taylor Swift gained much of her fanbase while she was publicly apolitical, a time when people even assumed she was conservative based on her country artist image and political silence. Seemingly overnight, she revealed a different side of herself, one that wasn’t afraid to take a stand.
With his post on Truth Social, Trump, for a moment, spoke to a subset of Swifties who might’ve felt left behind after the pop star made her political views public for the first time. Swift spoke out against then-senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn, criticizing her stances on LGBTQ and women’s rights. She criticized Trump for his remarks on the Black Lives Matter protests. She even took to social media to post a photo with a special batch of cookies in support of the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020.
Taylor Swift fans remember all too well when she pulled back the curtain in her Netflix documentary Miss Americana to show the tug-of-war that was her decision to launch into political activism. “It’s really basic human rights, and it’s right and wrong at this point, and I can’t see another commercial and see [Marsha Blackburn] disguising these policies behind the words ‘Tennessee Christian values,’” Swift tearfully told her father, Scott Swift, “Those aren’t Tennessee Christian values. I live in Tennessee. I’m a Christian. That’s not what we stand for.”
Despite this, Swift’s most conservative fans were unswayed, nor did this affect her ability to expand her fanbase with Trump supporters. No matter what either of them say, they’ll still sit with them in the trenches.
