Swift's bold move: Backing Harris for 2024 campaign
Kamala Harris expressed pride in Taylor Swift's support for her presidential campaign in an interview with Wired. Harris emphasised its significance and said she respects the courage required for the singer’s public declaration.
In an interview with "Wired," published on 20 September, Kamala Harris answered the most frequently searched questions about her online. During the conversation, the vice president revealed that she is "very proud" of the support given to her by the 34-year-old pop star Taylor Swift. Harris described Swift as an "incredible artist" and valued her courage in taking an official stance.
Despite their aligned political views, Harris jokingly noted that they differ when it comes to favourite NFL teams. "But we were on different sides of the Super Bowl last year," Harris admitted, mentioning Swift’s support for the Kansas City Chiefs, her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s team. "But who’s mad at anyone for being loyal to their team," added the politician.
Taylor Swift officially endorsed Harris in the 2024 presidential race on 10 September. Shortly after the conclusion of the first televised debate between Harris and Donald Trump, the singer posted on Instagram, addressing the fake images generated by artificial intelligence previously shared by Trump.
"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation", wrote Swift. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth".
Swift publicly declared that she would vote for Harris while praising the decision to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the vice presidential candidate. "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make," Swift wrote. The artist also encouraged registering to vote, especially targeting young voters.
Following Swift’s support, the Democratic National Committee started using the singer's lyrics in their campaigns in New York and Las Vegas. Posters feature phrases like "We’re in our Kamala era" and "A New Way Forward… Ready for It?".
Meanwhile, on 15 September, Donald Trump attacked Swift in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, writing: "I hate Taylor Swift!" In the context of the ongoing campaign, Rosemary Boeglin, DNC communications director, emphasised the importance of voters understanding the difference between Harris’s programme and Trump’s agenda.
