Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after Tuesday night’s debate against Donald Trump.
The pop star made her announcement in an Instagram post, humorously signing off as “Childless Cat Lady,” a nod to remarks made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
Her post, breaking her silence on the 2024 vote, explained: “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
Swift, who also backed Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020, went on to call Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader”.
She added: “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift’s message was accompanied by a photo of her with a cat. Her “Childless Cat Lady” remark referenced comments made in 2021 by Vance, Trump’s chosen candidate for vice-president.
Vance, the Ohio senator, faced criticism for a clip in which he referred to several prominent Democrats, including Harris, as “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.” He later clarified that his comments were “sarcastic.”
Swift also praised Harris’s choice of vice-presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, noting his long-standing support for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and women’s reproductive rights.
The singer mentioned that part of her motivation for publicly sharing her voting decision stemmed from an AI-generated image falsely showing her endorsing Trump, which had been posted on his website.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.”
Trump embraced the fake images in a post that triggered a backlash from Swift’s fans—known as “Swifties”—who accused him of spreading misinformation.
Swift is among several celebrities endorsing Harris, alongside John Legend, Olivia Rodrigo, George Clooney, and Spike Lee. In contrast, Trump has received endorsements from former wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV personality Amber Rose, and billionaire Elon Musk.
Swift’s intervention followed a heated 90-minute presidential debate, where the candidates clashed on topics like abortion rights, the economy, and immigration.
This isn’t Swift’s first time endorsing a Democratic candidate against Trump. She supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris a month before the 2020 election and was a vocal critic of Trump during his presidency, especially during the protests following the murder of George Floyd.
“After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she posted on Twitter/X. “We will vote you out in November.”
Noting Swift’s political past, one academic who studies the intersection of media and politics suggested that the endorsement was unlikely to move the needle in Harris’s favour.
“No surprise at all, she endorsed Biden and Harris in 2020 so we already knew her politics,” said Lauren Rosewarne, a University of Melbourne professor.
Swift’s endorsement could influence voter registration, Ms. Rosewarne told the BBC. However, since her fan base is predominantly young and female—demographics that already align with Harris’s supporters—its impact might be limited come November.
The singer boasts 283 million Instagram followers, and her endorsement garnered over 4.5 million likes within three hours of posting.
In her message, Swift encouraged first-time voters to register and stated that she would share a link with additional voting information on her page.
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” she said. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”