Donald Trump has told aides that it doesn’t matter if Taylor Swift endorses Joe Biden – because he is ‘more popular’ than she is anyway.
The 77-year-old was commenting on reports that the pop megastar was preparing to endorse Biden, and that Biden’s campaign were desperate for her to appear on stage with the president at a rally. Swift endorsed Biden in 2020.
He is said to believe that even the pop megastar will fail to deprive him of a win in November, despite Dems hoping Swift could dramatically-sway the vote.
The New York Times reported on Monday that Swift is a key name on Biden aides’ ‘wish lists of potential surrogates.’
Trump also, according to Rolling Stone, said that it was wrong that Swift was named as Time magazine’s person of the year in December 2023, because the accolade should ‘obviously’ have gone to him.
Swift’s political clout is sought after by all sides, but for years she remained avowedly neutral.
Taylor Swift posted in her X account in October 2020: ‘I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president’
Swift is seen with boyfriend Travis Kelce on Sunday, as Kelce’s team qualified for the Super Bowl
Born in Pennsylvania but moving to Nashville as a young girl to pursue music, she was initially loathe to say anything that would alienate her traditionally Republican country music fanbase.
But in 2018, she spoke out against Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, saying her voting record ‘appalls and terrifies me.’
Trump – who in 2012 called her ‘fantastic’ and ‘terrific’ – was angered by Swift’s remarks.
‘You know, Marsha Blackburn is doing a very good job in Tennessee, she’s leading now substantially,’ Trump said. ‘She’s a tremendous woman.
‘I’m sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know anything about her. And let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.’
Donald Trump is seen in 2018, criticizing Swift for her opposition to Republican senator Marsha Blackburn
Swift then backed Biden, and last year, a single Instagram post of hers led to 35,000 new voter registrations.
A poll this month from Redfield & Wilton Strategies showed 18 percent of voters said they’re ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly likely’ to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.
One source close to Trump told Rolling Stone that MAGA insiders were preparing to launch ‘holy war’ against the 34-year-old.
The prospect of Swift endorsing Biden again has sent conservative commentators into a spin: Chris Cillizza, a political commentator for CNN until 2022, posted a video of Fox News hosts expressing anger and concern at the idea, and wrote: ‘They are really scared of Taylor Swift, aren’t they?’
The clip featured Judge Jeanine telling Swift to stay out of politics, saying: ‘We don’t want to see you there.’
Tomi Lahren begged her to ‘stick to music’, while Maria Bartiromo asked what her foreign or economic policy positions were. One guest says Swift is ‘effectively Biden’s VP’.
Yet Jason Miller, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, downplayed the importance of a Swift endorsement.
‘Joe Biden might be counting on Taylor Swift to save him, but voters are looking at these sky-high inflation rates and saying, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,’ said Miller.
On Tuesday, Megyn Kelly criticized conservatives for worrying that Swift would influence the 2024 presidential election.
Megyn Kelly criticized conservatives for worrying that Taylor Swift would influence the 2024 presidential election by endorsing Joe Biden but acknowledging she’s ‘sick of’ her and boyfriend Travis Kelce
Kelly has previously slammed Swift for her refusal to laugh at a joke aimed toward her at the Golden Globes and for attending a comedy show that benefitted pro-Palestinian charities.
However, recent reports that the Biden campaign has a nod from the singer at the top of their endorsement list for 2024 has led some conservatives to believe she will brainwash Americans into voting Democrat.
Kelly scoffed at it as a conspiracy theory and noted that ‘people on the right who I like and respect are pushing this.’
‘I don’t know why people are so afraid of her. She does have power, she does have influence, she’s told people to go vote and something like 35,000 of them did. But registering to vote is not the same as actually voting,’ she said on The Megyn Kelly Show.
President Joe Biden’s campaign is wooing Taylor Swift for her endorsement
Kelly did admit that Swift was likely to lean left in 2024 – as she did publicly in 2020 – as would her Pfizer and Bud Light pitchman boyfriend Kelce, but that it didn’t matter
Recent reports that the Biden campaign has a nod from the singer at the top of their endorsement list for 2024 has led some conservatives to believe she will brainwash Americans into voting Democrat
She noted that other celebrities, like George Clooney, have pushed for candidates in the past and been unsuccessful.
Kelly did admit that Swift was likely to lean left in 2024 – as she did publicly in 2020 – as would her Pfizer and Bud Light pitchman boyfriend Kelce, but that it didn’t matter.
‘Why are people living in fear of this?’ she wondered, noting that she ‘doesn’t happen to be one of’ the ‘vast majority of people’ who find Swift interesting.
‘If she’s smart, she will stay nonpolitical, which is better for her,’ said Kelly.
‘She will not be the most popular person in America if she continues to antagonize half the country that votes Republican, but whatever.’