Taylor. Swift. Two simple words that carry the weight of an empire. Whether you’re a Swiftie or a hater, you know her name. The polarization between her fans and critics has always been vast, and now she’s involved in another intensely polarized scene: politics.
On September 10th, 2024 Vice President Kamala Harris took to the stage to debate former president, Donald Trump. The debate lasted for about two hours and just a few minutes after the discussion, Taylor Swift made an Instagram post in which she endorsed the Democratic candidate. Some people are convinced that her endorsement will mobilize her millions of fans and sway the election; others feel that it will have little to no effect.
Taylor Swift is a superstar; there’s no other word for it. According to an article from Forbes, fifty-three percent of American adults consider themselves fans. Whether it’s because of her music, relatability, or glamor, people love her. According to The New York Times, Swift’s profound influence on the people who idolize her could impact the upcoming election.
In mid-August of 2024, during an earlier stage in the election, Trump made a post on social media that included an image of Taylor Swift. It was created using artificial intelligence and it depicted Swift in an Uncle Sam costume, telling viewers that she wanted them to vote for Trump.
This incident was one of the driving forces behind Swift going public with her endorsement of Kamala Harris. In her Instagram post, Swift wrote “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site…It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.” She then made it clear that she would be voting for Harris.
When sharing her views in the past, Swift has often been criticized and as a result has been reluctant to share her political opinions with the world. She “faced criticism…for whether and when she chooses to make her views known” as Simmone Shah from TIME states. This double standard of being criticized for not speaking up, and then condemned for her words makes her aversion to political commentary understandable.
This also explains why Swift chose not to support Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election as Clinton was facing similar backlash in her race against Donald Trump. One of the reasons why Swift held back during that election was her fear of becoming a liability for Clinton. Swift was concerned that Trump might have tried to weaponize her endorsement. In The New York Times, Swift described the parallel between how she and Hillary Clinton were being viewed by the public. She stated, “The summer before that election, all people were saying was, ‘She’s calculated. She’s manipulative. She’s not what she seems. She’s a snake. She’s a liar.’ These are the same exact insults people were hurling at Hillary.”
The first time Swift made a public statement was in an Instagram post in 2018 where she addressed the political races taking place in Tennessee. She chose to support candidate Phil Bredesen over Marsha Blackburn in their race for Senate, as well as supporting Jim Cooper who was running for a spot in the House of Representatives. Since then, Swift has been more open about her political views, to the point where she endorsed Joe Biden during the 2020 Presidential election.
During this election cycle, Swift has been heavily involved in politics. She encouraged her followers to vote on Instagram in September of 2023 and was the subject of conspiracy theories in the winter of 2024. According to Rachel Treisman from NPR, In July of 2024, a video from 2021 of J.D. Vance resurfaced in which he stated “that the U.S. was being run by Democrats, corporate oligarchs and ‘a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.’” Many women were offended, and in response, Taylor Swift demonstrated her support by signing her endorsement post with the words “With love and hope, / Taylor Swift / Childless Cat Lady.” As a reporter with The New York Times put it, “she is driving the movement behind Donald Trump bonkers.”
However, Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris may not ultimately affect who is elected to office. According to a 2024 study by Ashley Spillane, celebrity endorsement may increase the number of voters, but it is difficult to measure an impact, if present, on the election’s results.
Swift has definitely proven the impact of celebrity endorsement on voter numbers. In 2023, Swift made a post encouraging followers to vote which resulted in the registration of more than 35,000 people on Vote.org. And now, she may increase that impact by linking places to register and other related information following her recent Instagram post.
In the past, while Swift clearly endorsed political figures such as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, she has never told her followers who they should vote for. This may be because she does not want to alienate the republican portion of her fanbase. However, given the sheer scope of her popularity and influence, she does not have to give explicit directions. Some fans are so obsessed with her that they will do anything she says. Just knowing Swift’s opinion is enough.
For example, according to Vogue Business, Swift likes to communicate with her fans using cryptic messages she calls “easter eggs.” “Each outfit, accessory, or visual cue has a meaning that links to the future of her upcoming projects and music, urging fans to engage on microscopic levels of analysis, while keeping her fan base on their toes.” Some fans are so committed that they are willing to spend their time and energy trying to decode messages and find meaning in the tiniest things Swift does.
Additionally, fans are willing to buy products that are associated with Swift. For example, CBS found that because of Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, his “jersey sales spiked nearly 400%.” Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine dedicated Swifties feeling obligated to follow Swift’s lead when it comes to the election.
However, not everyone is convinced. Students at Bronx Science have also expressed mixed opinions about Taylor Swift’s impact. Many of them felt that a celebrity endorsement will not be enough to sway the election. When surveyed, Astrid Grimskog-Tran ’26 said, “because of the way the electoral college works, it won’t be seen as that big of a boost…so even if she has a much more democratic-leaning fanbase, and Kamala gets the majority of actual votes, Trump might still win.”
Other students felt that Swift’s endorsement would have a stronger impact on voters. Alexandra Ghile ’26 said that she felt “this will impact the election, and that Taylor Swift fans that previously may have been unsure of whether to vote at all would vote just because their favorite artist supports a certain candidate.” She also brought up the question of whether or not celebrity endorsements are a good thing. Ghile said, “I don’t think people should be basing their votes on what their favorite celebrity is doing. They should try to educate themselves on what they believe in, what they want for their country, and what each representative is promising. Blindly voting for our next president which will shape the future of our country because of Taylor Swift’s Instagram post doesn’t seem right.”
As the election looms, the country is bracing for the results. Our elected leader will have the opportunity to shape America. Taylor Swift clearly stated her beliefs without forcing anyone else to take her position and she encouraged her fans to vote. Whether or not it is enough to put Harris in the Whitehouse, all we can do as a nation is cast our vote and wait.
“I don’t think people should be basing their votes on what their favorite celebrity is doing. They should try to educate themselves on what they believe in, what they want for their country, and what each representative is promising. Blindly voting for our next president which will shape the future of our country because of Taylor Swift’s Instagram post doesn’t seem right.”