Controversial right-wing commentator Jason Whitlock has insisted Taylor Swift will have zero influence on this year’s presidential election, rubbishing claims a Super Bowl win for Travis Kelce and the Chiefs will benefit Democratic candidates.
The singer’s huge influence on popular culture could be a factor in the race to the White House, particularly as 41 million Gen Z voters prepare to vote this year.
Last week, a poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek found 18 per cent of voters say they’re ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to vote for a candidate endorsed by the popstar.
Her sway was more visible with voters under the age of 35.
However, 17 per cent said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate backed by Swift – which could bode badly for Democrat Joe Biden.
Jason Whitlock has insisted Taylor Swift will have zero influence on this year’s election
Last week, a poll found 18 per cent of voters are ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to vote for a candidate endorsed by the popstar, who is dating NFL player Travis Kelce
Swift has had a remarkable 12 months with her hit Eras Tour bringing in over a billion dollars, being named Time magazine’s 2023 ‘Person of the Year’ and her flourishing relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce.
The couple will be front and center of next week’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas with Swift expected to jet in from Japan after playing in Tokyo the night before.
But Whitlock believes even if the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers and Swift dominates TV coverage in front of a huge national audience, it will have no impact on the White House race.
Speaking on his ‘Fearless with Jason Whitlock’ show, he said: ‘I don’t want any of the conservatives to take anything I’m saying personally. I’m trying to look out for you. I’m trying to give you a bigger picture understanding of what’s really going on with Taylor Swift.
‘We’ve got to come out of Taylor Swift derangement syndrome because that’s what’s going on. Taylor derangement syndrome. You’ve been tricked into it.
‘It’s making you look bad. It’s making conservatives look bad. It’s making Christians like me look bad.
Whitlock says Swift ‘won’t provide Joe Biden a percentage point or a vote’, despite her fanbase
‘Am I a Taylor Swift fan? No. Do I get she’s a feminist tool and harmful? Yes. She will have no impact on the presidential election. Quit connecting her to the presidential election.
‘The Chiefs winning the Super Bowl isn’t going to elevate Taylor Swift and make her a better surrogate for the democratic party. It’s not going to happen.
‘Nobody in the NFL cares whether the 49ers or the Chiefs win this Super Bowl. The Chiefs, if they win, because of Taylor Swift, it’s not going to provide Michelle Obama or Gavin Newsom or Joe Biden one percentage point. I don’t even know if it’ll provide them a vote.
‘But if they can go to voters and say “look at these conservative hypocrites. Look at how deranged and silly they are. They hate Taylor Swift because she’s fallen in love or pretending to fall in love with a football player and these idiots think that if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, somehow that’s a victory for Joe Biden and the left”.
‘Don’t do it. Don’t give them that ammo.’
Whitlock attracted criticism last month when he welcomed a anti-Semitic guest, who claimed 457 Jews are ‘running’ the Biden administration, onto his show without challenging his bizarre views.
E. Michael Jones, an author and Catholic writer, said: ‘First of all, Joe Biden is not in charge of the government. It’s called Biden’s menu, you can look this up, too.
‘There are 457 Jews who are running the Biden administration. They’re the people who are in charge, okay? So there’s no point in talking about Joe Biden.
‘We have to be able to identify these people, and we have to call them out, and hold them responsible for it.’
He also claimed Jewish people ‘created a plantation for Black people’. Whitlock responded by saying Jones was ‘speaking facts’.
Swift previously criticized Donald Trump – and vowed to ‘vote him out’ of the White House
Swift, who often keeps her politics to herself, has previously criticized Trump – and vowed to ‘vote him out’ of the White House.
She accused then-President Trump of ‘stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism’ his entire presidency in 2020.
The Shake It Off singer took to social media to condemn Trump for his remarks over the violence that erupted after the police-related death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
‘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 starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump,’ wrote Swift in the tweet.
In recent months, Trump has also snapped back at the popstar.
Trump has weighed in on the romance of Taylor and Kelce, and made his own predictions of the tryst.
The Republican candidate frontrunner congratulated the pair, but quickly predicted they may not last.
‘I wish the best for both of them. I hope they enjoy their life, maybe together, maybe not — most likely not,’ Trump said in a candid response during an interview with the Daily Caller.