What pushed Taylor Swift to break her silence and endorse Kamala Harris after Donald Trump debate
She’s known for leaving cryptic messages in her songs, but Taylor Swift didn’t mince her words when she made her shocking statement endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. It was reportedly in response to Donald Trump’s “terrifying” tirade.
The 34-year-old megastar had not, surprisingly, endorsed any candidates. A source told DailyMail.com that the Blank Space singer had been “back and forth” for weeks about whether or not to speak out publicly about the upcoming election.
“She considered making a statement after the debate, but wasn’t 100 percent sure,” the source said.
But after watching the primetime debate, in which Trump, 78, accused migrants of eating pets and claimed Democrats “want to execute babies” in the ninth month of pregnancy, the singer knew she “had to speak out and choose a side for the safety of herself, her family, friends and fans.”
“She found his tirade downright terrifying,” they said.
Taylor Swift made the shocking statement Tuesday night that she will support Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election
The source continued: “He was dishonest, arrogant, rude and worst of all he made no apologies for it.”
After Swift noted how “distant” Trump was, the source said she “knew” she had to support Harris, 59.
”[She knew] “It was time to stand on the side of history again by supporting a candidate who could help build a country free of hate, inequality, division and racism,” voters said.
“Taylor will likely make a donation to the campaign,” the source continued.
“Taylor was aware of the immense political influence her voice and fan base had, and she supported Kamala — for herself, her fans, her rights as a woman, and even for her cat, Meredith.”
Swift’s statement, which was posted on Instagramgot over 2.8 million likes in less than an hour.
The post came weeks after she indicated during her concert in Vienna in August that she was reluctant to speak out following the foiled terrorist attack.
In a statement on Instagram, the Cruel Summer singer said she was “devastated” and that she had initially kept quiet because her “priority” was to “safely” complete the European leg of her tour.
The 34-year-old singer knew she had to “speak her mind and choose a side for the safety of herself, her family, friends and fans,” and publicly supported Harris in a social media post Tuesday night.
In the primetime debate on ABC, Donald Trump accused migrants of eating pets and claimed Democrats want to “execute babies” in the ninth month of pregnancy
She added: “Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak publicly about anything if I think it might provoke those who want to harm the fans who come to my shows.”
Swift, who is in a relationship with Chiefs player Travis Kelce, received a lot of criticism when she was spotted with her good friend Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick, at the US Open.
Brittany has liked a number of Trump’s Instagram posts in recent weeks, leading to speculation that she supports the former president.
She later caused a stir on Instagram after liking a follower’s comment: ‘TRUMP-VANCE 2024’.
She also liked another show of support after drawing anger by initially liking a Trump post about the November election.
“Good to see you’re not giving in,” was the comment she liked. “We’re all entitled to our own opinions and shouldn’t be forced into submission.”
The former president publicly thanked Brittany for her support.
“I want to thank the wonderful Brittany Mahomes for defending me so vigorously, and for MAGA being the largest and most powerful political movement in the history of our now failed country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network earlier this month.
Swift has been criticized by some for her close friendship with Brittany, with the two often attending games together and reacting angrily on social media.
Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift have built a close friendship over the past 12 months, but in recent weeks there has been a lot of criticism over the former’s political leanings.
Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, 34, is expected to follow suit and support Harris
Swift endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in the 2020 presidential election just one month before voters went to the polls
Former President Trump dismissed Swift’s shocking endorsement of Harris, saying Wednesday morning that he values Brittany’s support more and that he is not a fan of Swift.
‘She [Brittany] is a big fan of Trump,” Trump said in an interview with Fox and Friends, which followed a late-night interview with Sean Hannity on the same network after a spat with Harris in which several conservative commentators gave his rival the upper hand.
“I was not a Taylor Swift fan,” he said. “It was just a matter of time. She couldn’t — you couldn’t possibly support Biden. Look at Biden. You couldn’t possibly support him.”
He called the singer a “very liberal” person and tried to brush off her support for Harris, ending with a pointed “cat lady” joke.
“She always seems to support a Democrat, she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace. But no. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great. She got a lot of news last week. She’s a big MAGA fan, that’s the one I like better than Taylor Swift,” Trump said.
It’s not the first time the Eras Tour singer has endorsed a Democratic candidate. In 2020, Taylor endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election, and in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she said she backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 election and accused Trump of treating the presidency like “an autocracy.”