Former President Donald Trump is trying to get the attention of Swifties.
President Trump on Sunday posted several allegedly artificial intelligence-generated images on his social media platform, Truth Social, implying that Taylor Swift and the Swifties are endorsing his campaign, even though Swift has publicly voiced her disdain for the Republican candidate in the past.
“Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump,” reads one image that portrays Swift as Uncle Sam, while another AI image marked as satire reads, “Swift fans turn to Trump after ISIS blocks Taylor Swift concert.” The image refers to a terror plot that was allegedly planned at Swift’s Vienna concert earlier this month. Austrian authorities, with the help of US authorities, thwarted the attack.
The photos may contain artificially generated imagery as well as one actual photo of pro-Trump Swifties that resembles a real-life group called “MAGA Swifties.”
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris? Her political background and new Easter eggs
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
USA TODAY has reached out to Swift’s representatives for comment.
While Swift has yet to endorse a candidate in the 2024 election, she has become more vocal about her political views in recent years.
In the 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift made her political beliefs clear, endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) in the 2018 midterm elections. Swift’s publicist Tree Payne warned that Trump was targeting her, to which Swift quipped, “I don’t care. If I get bad press for saying, ‘Keep homophobic racists out of office,’ then I get bad press for that.”
The beat goes on: Trump keeps dancing as artists furious over use of his songs
Swift kicked down the door to her political safe house, explicitly denounced Bredesen’s opponent, Marsha Blackburn, calling her a “Trump in a wig.” She posted a photo of herself and her mother, Andrea Swift, in front of a Bredesen sign and wrote, “Two Tennessee women voted for a candidate who has proven himself rational and trustworthy.”
After news of Blackburn’s endorsement of Bredesen broke, Trump said his “liking for Swift’s music went down by about 25%.” Blackburn ultimately won the Senate seat.
Contributor: Brian West
