Pop icon Taylor Swift threw her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency on after the debate on Tuesday night, and conservatives immediately roasted her for it.
Swift praised Harris as a “steady-handed, gifted leader” in an Instagram post to her 283 million followers.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” the “Cruel Summer” singer penned.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she added.
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“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.”
Swift also stated her approval of Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, highlighting his long-standing support for LGBTQ+ causes, IVF, and “a woman’s right to own her body for decades.”
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” she continued. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”
In her post, Swift encouraged first-time voters to ensure they are registered and recommended voting early.
She signed off her message with “Childless Cat Lady,” referencing a remark Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), used in 2021 to mock politicians without children.
Swift, a high profile “cat lady” shared an image of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button.
The response to her endorsement by conservative Americans was quick and brutal.
“Reminder: Taylor Swift has built an entire career on her inability to choose the right man,” someone tweeted. “Now, she wants us to trust her to choose our next President. Yeah, I’ll pass.”
“Well, in a SHOCKING SURPRISE Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris after the debate,” another added.
Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2024
“She says she’s researched her policies. I’d like to know where she found them in order to research them.”
“Taylor Swift is a billionaire,” someone else pointed out. “She’s not at the grocery store having to decide whether to feed her family or pay her mortgage.”
“While she’s flying her private jets, you’re struggling to gas up you car & get to work,” they added. “It’s no surprise she’s “ok” with 4 more years of this.
Swift’s endorsement of Harris was not unexpected, especially after she supported President Joe Biden and Harris during the 2020 election.
In her Instagram message, she also finally addressed the AI-generated images falsely claiming she endorsed the Trump-Vance ticket, which Trump shared on his Truth Social platform.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site,” she wrote. “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 singer added. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
🎥| Tim Walz reacts to @taylorswift13 endorsing him and Kamala Harris:
“I’m incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift, I say that also as a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear. That’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
— Taylor Swift Updates 🩶 (@swifferupdates) September 11, 2024
Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, predictably welcomed Swift’s endorsement during an MSNBC interview right after the debate.
Host Rachel Maddow read Swift’s Instagram post in full, prompting Walz to fawn over the singer’s “courage” for endorsing the Democratic ticket.
“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift,” Walz said, adding, “I say that as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner.”
“That was eloquent, and that was clear,” he noted. “And that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Walz urged Swift’s fans, aka the “Swifties,” to visit Harris’s website to learn more about how they can support the campaign.
When Trump entered the “spin room” post-debate, he was asked about Swift’s endorsement of Harris. “I have no idea,” he remarked.
During his appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Trump described his debate performance as his “best” yet and dismissed questions about debating Harris again.
“I had a good time. I think it was our best debate ever,” Trump claimed, though he criticized the ABC News moderators. “We had three against one.”
Trump spox made their frustration over how ABC’s moderators managed the debate known.
“Weird how the hack moderators …are only “Fact checking” Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop. The Fake News is the enemy of the people,” tweeted Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son.
Weird how the hack moderators at @abcnews are only “Fact checking” Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop. The Fake News is the enemy of the people! #ABCDebate
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 11, 2024
ABC News moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir fact-checked Trump several times during the debate but didn’t apply the same scrutiny to Harris, according to Breitbart.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Meghan McCain also criticized the moderators’ approach on social media.
“This debate is three vs one — the ABC moderators clearly shilling for Kamala Harris,” Gabbard penned.
“These are elite Manhattan debate questions – the American people are suffering and can’t pay for groceries and deserve answers how it will get better,” McCain stated.