There has been a significant shake-up in the 2024 race for the White House—and not just because of the less-than-stellar performance by former President Donald Trump during Tuesday evening’s debate. Though political pundits spent the late hours of Tuesday and much of Wednesday morning discussing statements made by Trump and rival Vice President Kamala Harris during their first—and likely only—presidential debate in this year’s election cycle, pop singer Taylor Swift also made headlines.
The singer, who is taking a brief break from her global tour, endorsed Harris via a post on Instagram, writing, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
The pop superstar said she was “sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country,” while adding that she was recently made aware of AI being used to “falsely” endorse the former president.
“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 in her Instagram post, and she called upon her followers to vote—but didn’t actually call upon them to vote for Harris.
“Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make,” she suggested. “I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered!”
In a call-in to “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning, Trump responded that he wasn’t surprised by Swift’s decision to endorse Harris, labeled her “a very liberal person,” and suggested, “She’ll probably pay a price for it […] in the marketplace.”
Superstar Endorsement
Swift’s endorsement of Harris shouldn’t be seen as surprising, as she had backed Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, but her superstar status has only increased in the past four years. Thus the impact it could have on the election shouldn’t be dismissed, especially as it could entice younger voters to head to the polls.
“This is a real case study in terms of a celebrity impacting an election,” explained Scott Talan, senior professorial lecturer in public communications at American University. “She laid out in several paragraphs what led to her endorsement. The fact that it was on Instagram is noteworthy as it is the medium that young people use. It was an A+ job in impact and potential success.”
Swift’s post also allowed her to respond directly to the false claims from last month that she had endorsed Trump. Her post set the record straight to her fans while highlighting the danger not to believe everything you read on the platforms.
“Social media are marketing platforms now and not necessarily based on personal thought or opinion. The amount of misinformation spreads like wildfire because of the sheer size of those communities. They do not encourage impact, but actually the contrary and Gen Z are savvy to authenticity. It was powerful for Taylor to officially post her intentions, as she said, to be very transparent and fight misinformation with the truth,” said Claire Wright, CEO and co-founder of social media utility app BUDDY.
“Taylor has her comments turned off, most likely to prevent everyone, including herself, from experiencing toxic comments—sadly what the culture of social media use has become,” suggested Wright.
Pop The Vote 2024
In many ways, Swift’s endorsement via Instagram could be critical for Harris simply because of her massive following. Even if not all “Swifties” are liberals, her message was still about the importance of voting—and serves as a reminder of MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign from the 1990s.
“The key to the 2024 Presidential election is getting new voters out to the polls,” said Linda Bloss-Baum, professorial lecturer in the Department of Management at American University’s Kogod School of Business.
“The biggest crop of ‘new’ votes may come from the younger electorate that has not actively participated in past elections,” added Bloss-Baum, who also said many students have been asking how to register to vote and get involved in a campaign. “These voters are proud ‘Swifties.'”
The power of celebrity can’t be dismissed, as Bloss-Baum further noted that Swift sold 4.35 million tickets last year for the first U.S. leg of her Eras tour.
“The way she relates to her fans through her music, social media, and personal anecdotes creates a sense of intimacy and understanding,” said Bloss-Baum. “Taylor Swift’s deep connection with an entire generation surpasses that of any artist in my lifetime. The millions of Instagram likes that Taylor’s post received within mere minutes after the Presidential debate shows how quickly her fans stand ready to support her, and by extension, Kamala Harris. If a mere fraction of those ‘likes’ turn into ‘votes’ for Kamala Harris, it could seriously impact the outcome of the election in November.”
Yet, it should be remembered too that Trump is also more celebrity than a politician.
“If he wasn’t a reality TV star, he wouldn’t be president,” added Talan.
The difference is that Trump’s celebrity status may have helped win him the White House in 2016, but it fell short in 2020, and might not put him over the top in 2024. By comparison, Swift is at the top of her game.
“She has one of the biggest fan bases around, and you tie this into more and more young voters being politically motivated, while her fans are mainly fans are female with abortion being a central campaign issue,” said Talan. “There isn’t another celebrity on the other side of the political spectrum that has the reach of Swift.”
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