The American singer Taylor Swift has announced that she will vote for Kamala Harris in the elections on November 5th. The announcement came on September 10, immediately after the end of the debate between the Democratic presidential candidate and the Republican Donald Trump.
In an Instagram post, which quickly became very popular with 3.6 million “likes” in just over an hour, the singer stated that she chose Harris because “she fights for the causes and rights that I believe in.”
“I think she is a capable and strong leader,” Taylor Swift added in a lengthy message, signing off as “childless cat lady” and attaching a photo of herself holding a cat. This was a direct reference to a controversial statement full of sexist clichés made by the Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who targeted childless women.
While not explicitly urging her “swifties,” or fans, to follow her example, the singer invited everyone to “do their own research on the issues and positions of these candidates on topics that interest you.”
Taylor Swift’s support is important for Harris. False rumors even announced that the world-famous star would attend the Democratic convention in Chicago in mid-August.
“I am very grateful to Taylor Swift,” said Tim Walz, Harris’s vice-presidential candidate. “This is the kind of action that America needs. When someone like her speaks so clearly, it’s an opportunity.”
Until now, the singer had been rather cautious when it came to political issues: in 2016, she remained silent during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, but she had supported Democratic candidates in her state elections in Tennessee in 2018. She later endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and defended messages of openness toward the LGBT+ communities in her songs, as well as condemning the decision of the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court to remove the guarantee of the right to abortion at the federal level in the United States.
Donald Trump, speaking on the Fox News channel the morning after the debate, stated that he is “not a fan” of the singer, adding: “It was just a matter of time. She couldn’t exactly support Biden. But she is a very progressive person. She always seems to support a Democrat and will probably pay a price for this in the market.”