Last night, directly following the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, pop star Taylor Swift dropped an Instagram post that many in the Democratic party were hoping to get.
Before viewers and pundits could even catch their breaths after an intense two-hour debate, Swift enthusiastically endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket. In her post, Swift talks about being alarmed by Trump’s Truth Social post that used AI to falsely claim that Swift was supporting him.
She also credited Harris with being a fighter “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.”
Swift signed the post, “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” an inference to a soundbite by vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s 2021 interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, in which he referred to the U.S. being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
The news broke so soon after the debate that MSNBC host Rachel Maddow interrupted her interview with Gov. Tim Walz to inform him of the endorsement.
Walz, who patted his heart upon hearing the endorsement, told Maddow, “I’m incredibly grateful, first of all to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner. Look, Swifties, you heard it. We know that it’s there. That was eloquent, and it was clear. And that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Kamala HQ, the campaign’s official social media handle, shared the news with a video post sharing Swift’s post, and saying “Ready for it,” a nod to Swift’s song.
Swift, who had infamously spoken about Trump in her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” has long encouraged her fans to register to vote, with both voting booths at her concerts and Instagram posts sharing her thoughts on local and national issues.
In a 2018 post, Swift voiced her support for LGBTQ+ issues and centered them in her reasons for voting in Tennessee midterms.
“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now,” Swift said in the 2018 post. “I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.”
In 2023, Swift spoke out about growing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and increasing numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation while on stage at her Eras Tour concert in Chicago.