It’s official. Pop superstar Taylor Swift is on Team Kamala.
What does it mean? That depends on both Vice President Harris and how much Swift wants to invest in her presidential campaign.
Some background is in order.
Swift soared to superstardom without getting her hands dirty in politics. That changed in the wake of the 2016 presidential election.
A certain real estate mogul stunned the world, and the press turned on Swift for having stayed out of the fray. Need an example? The Daily Beast insinuated she’s sympathetic to white supremacists for not denouncing their love for her.
The singer eventually declared a major. She embraced the Democratic Party and threw her support behind both Joe Biden and other leftists running for office. They even made a movie about her transformation – the Netflix documentary, “Miss Americana.”
In 2023, she hit the road and became the biggest act in the world. And, along the way, she stuck to the music. No lectures. No social media messages attacking Donald Trump or boosting Biden policies.
She shut up and sang. And, for what it’s worth, reigned over pop culture in a way not seen since Michael Jackson or The Beatles.
Yet she’s been shockingly silent on politics in 2024. She watched the various primary battles come and go without flexing her social media might (95 million X followers … 284 million on Instagram).
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Even during the heat of the Biden/Trump battles she stayed quiet. She didn’t even push the media’s brief but embarrassing “cheap fake” narrative to explain away Biden’s senior moments.
Days before the first (and only?) Trump-Harris debate Variety Magazine bullied Swift into taking a side. And there’s only one possible side, of course.
Swift finally took the plunge on debate night.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
Now what?
She’s already proven to be a boost to voting rolls. In the past, she’s promoted voter registration efforts and found some success. Will those “new” voters actually flex their constitutional might on November 5? That remains to be seen.
The biggest way to influence this election is to convince the independents and wall sitters alike. Can a major celebrity’s social media musings do the trick?
We’ve collectively downgraded our views on political stars in recent years. When the umpteenth celebrity vows to leave the country if Politician X wins, and then they stay put post-election, it hurts their collective cred.
So does the fact that mega-stars can ride out high inflation and soaring crime rates while most people can’t. It explains why the recent DNC convention tapped the brakes a bit on its celebrity quotient.
Even actor Zach Galifianakis, who previously promoted both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with his comedy, warned against playing the celebrity card too hard in 2024.
Swift is all toured out at the moment, so she can’t bring her pro-Harris message to stages across the country. That could have made her voice heard by thousands of adoring fans and, in turn, sparked a series of news stories about her proclamations.
The corporate press would be only too happy to spread that message.
She also could work the late-night TV circuit to promote her music and the Harris/Walz ticket. That audience is already sold on the Democrats, so few hearts or minds would be changed there.
Swift’s biggest advantage could be pushing out fake news to her flock. Millions follow and at least partially trust her on a variety of issues. So if Swift tag-teams with the corrupt corporate press that could have a distinct pro-Harris benefit.
Imagine if she boosted the “bloodbath” media lie from earlier in the election cycle to taunt Trump. Countless Swifties would assume she was sharing actual news.
Yet that seems unlikely. Why?
Her pro-Harris statement wasn’t brimming with the usual celebrity bile. Yes, she picked a side, but she didn’t demean Trump or his fan base. She also waited forever to pick a side this election season, suggesting her heart isn’t quite into it. Can you blame her?
She’s also protective of her brand to a fault. Her apolitical past wasn’t an accident, nor was her staying on the political sidelines during 2023’s Eras Tour.
Everything is a calculation.
Even if it appears she’s working alongside the Harris/Walz campaign it could ding her brand in some quarters. That seems like a losing proposition for the starlet. Plus, after having done all that “research” on Harris she must know she’s an empty suit saying whatever it takes to win come November.
And if the polls show Trump has momentum in the campaign’s waning weeks she may decide to go quiet again.
In the end, Swift’s endorsement matters, but she could be preaching to a considerable choir. Young women and “childless cat ladies” already plan to vote for Harris.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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