The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday has been capturing a lot of attention, more so, after Taylor Swift came into the picture.
What does a singer have to do with the US Presidential debate between the two candidates? Here’s the entire story:
The Story Behind “Childless Cat Ladies” Comment
It all began when JD Vance, the Ohio Senator and current candidate for Vice-President, in an interview in 2021 with ‘Fox News’ labelled some Democrats as “a bunch of childless cat ladies”.
“We’re effectively run in this country—via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs—by 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. It’s just a basic fact.” he said. He has since then received flak for his “sarcastic remark,” which he had used to express his dissatisfaction with the Democrats.
Three years later, music icon Taylor Swift sneakily used this reference in one of her Instagram posts to endorse Kamala Harris, one of the current candidates for the US President, the other one being Donald Trump.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she wrote after the Presidential debate that took place on September 10, 2024. “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” she added. A picture of her with her cat accompanied the text.
Moreover, she also went on to compliment Kamala Harris’s choice of the Vice President (VP), Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, for he has “been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades”.
Why Did Taylor Publicly Announce Her Vote?
The reason as to why she disclosed her choice of the Head of State was a fake AI image that was posted by Donald Trump on his website, which portrayed Swift endorsing him.
“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,” she said.
But the question at hand is whether such a public announcement by a popstar influence makes a difference or not.
A study by Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government claims that voter participation increases to a large extent when celebrities participate in the discussion of elections.
For example, in September 2023, when Swift urged her followers to register themselves as voters on ‘Vote.org,’ the registrations increased by 35,000.
A similar campaign by model Hailey Bieber in 2022, asking people to verify their voter registration status, also proved extremely successful.
Read More: Breakfast Babble: An Open Letter To Taylor Swift For Brightening My Teens
The Aftermath of Taylor’s Post
Trump admitted his fault for posting a fake picture after he received severe backlash from Swifties (Taylor’s fans). After she promoted Harris openly, he also said that he “was not a Taylor Swift fan” and that she is a “very liberal person” who will soon have to “pay the price for it in the marketplace.”
Trump was not the only one to respond to Swift’s endorsement. Tech tycoon Elon Musk also had something to say about the viral endorsement. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”
Criticism followed his comment in no time, with people calling it a creepy and inappropriate statement.
A pro-Democratic data scientist, Armand Domalewski, called the comment “skin-crawlingly creepy” and condemned him for making such an intrusive statement.
“You’re creepy. Full stop,” said Claudia Conway, daughter of Kellyanne Conway, a former aide of Donald Trump.
Elon Musk’s daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, was also one of the critics, calling her father’s comment “sexist” and “incel nonsense.”
Celebrities in the United States have been very vocal about their political opinions and do not hesitate to speak about them in public. This is not the only incident where Taylor Swift showed her choice of leader publicly. In 2018, she endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen for the role of a Senate in Tennessee.
What is your opinion on these comments and statements? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, BBC, Mint
This post is tagged under: taylor swift, swiftie, Elon Musk, tycoon, JD Vance, President, elections, US, presidential debate, sexist, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Ohio Senator, VP, Democrats, Tim Walz, Governor, Minnesota, AI
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