Taylor Swift has yet to support a presidential candidate in this election cycle. But former President Donald Trump says he accepts the superstar’s non-existent endorsement.
Trump wrote, “I accept!” on his Truth Social account, along with a carousel of (Swift) images, at least some of which look to be AI-generated.
One of the AI-manipulated photographs features Swift as Uncle Sam, with the caption, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” The other photographs show Swift supporters sporting “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts.
Trump shared a satirical post. A spate of false, AI-generated photographs of “Swifties for Trump” reference the thwarted planned terrorist assault at Swift’s Vienna concerts earlier this month, with the caption reading, “Swifties turning to Trump after ISIS foiled Taylor Swift concert.” (The original X account that first published the post responded, “LOL @realDonaldTrump shared my post,” confirming that the post was indeed satirical.)
After this report was published, an editor from the website Wisconsin Right Now contacted CNN to say she took two of the images Trump released during his rally in Racine, Wisconsin, in June. Jessica McBride stated that the woman in two of the photographs – the only two that were not generated by AI – is Jenna Piwowarczyk.
“I know of so many Swifties who have conservative values, and many, many more who have reached out to express their support and appreciation for the ‘Swifties for Trump’ movement,” Piwowarczyk said in a statement obtained by Wisconsin News Now. “By focusing on the AI photographs rather than the REAL person in the photos Trump provided, I believe the media is missing an opportunity to understand that, among the millions of Taylor Swift followers, many will support Trump and conservative beliefs while also enjoying her music. We exist. “We are real.”
Swift’s admirers, known as Swifties, have turned political this election season. Following President Joe Biden’s decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, a sizable group of Swift fans organized a community called “Swifties for Kamala,” which is unaffiliated with the artist. The group, which has rallied Swift fans to help elect Harris and other Democratic candidates down the ballot, has over 60,000 followers on X.
At this point, no formal “Swifties for Trump” group has been formed, but the superstar has conservative, pro-Trump fans who have shown their support for the former president on their personal social media accounts.
In October 2020, Swift told V magazine about her endorsement, “The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included.”
On the night of the 2020 vice presidential debate, Swift wrote on social media, “Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the TV a lot.”
While Swift has not endorsed Harris’ presidential campaign this year, she has stoked fan conjecture. Swift fans were positive that the singer had left an impression after a recent performance on the European leg of her “Eras” tour.
Swift, who was not politically active for the first decade of her career, has recently expressed strong support for Democratic candidates and programs. She is an LGBTQ community champion who has frequently spoken out on women’s rights and reproductive health issues.
Swift expressed sorrow in her 2020 documentary, “Miss Americana,” for not speaking up about political issues sooner. “I need to be on the right side of history,” she stated in an emotional session with her father. In another clip, Swift told her publicist that she doesn’t mind if she experiences retribution for speaking out against Trump. “I do not care. If I get bad press for saying, ‘Don’t put a homophobic racist in government,’ I will get bad press for it.”
Swift tweeted about her dislike for Trump in 2020, saying, “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” ‘When the looting starts, the shooting begins’??? “We’ll vote you out in November.”
A “Swifties for Kamala” spokesman hit back at Trump for posting AI photographs, telling CNN that their group was founded because their community “shares values” with Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
“We believe Harris-Walz will fight for our rights and the rights of our loved ones, as well as help make this country safer for everyone,” Carly Long, communications director of Swifties for Kamala, told CNN on Monday. The group has donated more than $10,000 to Harris-Walz’s campaign. “Our movement also began and gained significant momentum because, as Taylor Swift stated in 2020, Donald Trump is ‘a homophobic racist,’ and we, as a community, do not and cannot support having such a president.” We do not represent every Swiftie, but we believe there is a reason why we do not require AI to demonstrate our support for Harris.”
Despite his post, Trump appears to acknowledge that Swift does not officially back him.
In his latest book, “Apprentice in Wonderland,” Trump tells author Ramin Setoodeh, “I think she’s beautiful—very beautiful!” I think she’s gorgeous. I think she is liberal. She probably dislikes Trump.”
After the book was published, Swifties on the left went to social media with a message for the former president: “Stay away from her.”
