Taylor Swift has formally endorsed Kamala Harris after the candidate’s debate with Donald Trump, following up the ABC-hosted match-up with a strong message posted to her Instagram Story — saying that the vice president “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Wrote Swift: “Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”
She continued, “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. 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.”
Cutting to the chase on the moment many fans have been waiting for since July, Swift continued, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” she concluded. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.”
“With love and hope,” she signed the message, “Taylor Swift… Childless Cat Lady.”
Accompanying the post was a photo of Swift with one of her cats, Benjamin Button, from the cover shoot that was done when Time magazine named the singer its Person of the Year last December. Swift’s “childless cat lady” sign-off was a dig at Republican VP candidate JD Vance’s sniping comment about that being a primary demographic of the Democratic party.
The endorsement went up less than a half-hour after the debate concluded. Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz had a chance to quickly respond, as he was on-air when Swift’s missive went out to the world, and it was read to him by Rachel Maddow mid-interview on MSNBC.
“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift,” Walz said in response to Maddow’s recitation of the star’s post. “I say that as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent, and that was clear. And that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.” He encouraged Swifties to go to Harris’ website to learn more about how to support the campaign.
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After the debate, Harris stopped by a Democratic watch party in Philadelphia to speak briefly with supporters. According to Politico, Harris’ walk-off music at the party was… Swift’s “The Man.”
Fans of the singer remember that Swift endorsed the Joe Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 on the day of Harris’ debate with Mike Pence, saying she intended to be “shouting at the TV” in support of Harris.
Swift’s intentions in the election cycle have been at the center of a national discussion even before Harris assumed the lead role on the ticket in July. In past years where Swift has made a decisive election statement — starting in a 2018 congressional race in Tennessee and following through the 2020 presidential race — she has typically waited until early October to come out with a strong statement endorsing the Democratic candidate. This time, she didn’t wait for an “October surprise” and came out with her endorsement a month ahead of the time frame in which she’s stepped up in the past.
Some had wondered if Swift would respond immediately when Trump used his social media to “accept” the singer’s supposed endorsement of him after his supporters posted mostly fake images of “Swifties for Trump” activists, but the superstar held her fire until now.
Although the singer had remained quiet until now, many of her fans had assumed her support for Harris was coming — and, with or without Swift leading the charge, formed the group Swifties 4 Harris. A Zoom call organized by the group featured politicians like Sen. Elizabeth Warren as well as singer Carole King and raised more than $100,000 for the Harris-Walz campaign.
