American pop star Taylor Swift on Wednesday endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for the US presidential election, just after Harris completed her first debate with Republican rival Donald Trump. Calling Harris a 'warrior', Swift said she will be voting for the Democratic nominee in the November election.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift said in a post to Instagram.
“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.”
Swift added: “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. 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!”
She signed off her post, which included a picture of the singer with a cat, with “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady", in an apparent dig at remarks previously made by Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance.
In a 2021 interview of JD Vance, which was widely shared recently, the then-Senate-candidate could be heard complaining that the US 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".
In August, Trump had posted fake images on his social media, implying that the singer and her fans were supporting him. He posted the edited pictures and wrote "I accept!".
On this claim of the Republican candidate, Swift wrote," 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".
For nearly two decades, Swift largely avoided commenting on political issues. However, in 2018, she endorsed two Democratic candidates from Tennessee. Since then, she has been an outspoken advocate for Democratic policies, urging her fans to vote and championing causes such as women’s rights, reproductive health, and gay rights. She has also been a vocal critic of Donald Trump's policies.
