The Albany Gazette - Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for US president

The global megastar broke her silence on the current state of US politics Tuesday, voicing support for Harris over Donald Trump for the White House, and calling the Democratic candidate a "steady-handed, gifted leader."

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," she posted on Instagram in the minutes following a televised presidential debate that saw the candidates face off for the first time, which Swift said she had watched.

"I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," Swift wrote. "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."

She signed off her Instagram post by dubbing herself a "childless cat lady," a swipe at a much-mocked sentiment expressed by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance which he had wielded in a bid to insult Democratic women.

Until Tuesday, Swift had been conspicuously quiet on the subject, even as many of her fans began organizing under the banner "Swifties for Kamala" and raising tens of thousands of dollars for the Democratic hopeful.

But the 34-year-old said that discovering that AI-generated images of her falsely endorsing Trump, which "conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," had inspired her to speak up.

"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. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

She encouraged her legions of loyal fans to "do your research."

Swift, fresh off the European leg of her blockbuster "Eras" tour, balked at explicitly telling her ardent supporters to vote Harris, instead saying "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."

The artist did voice special support for Harris's choice of a running mate, Tim Walz, praising the Minnesota governor for "standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades."

- 'ith love and hope'With love and hope' -

A global celebrity with hundreds of millions of social media followers and a wildly loyal -- and chronically online -- fan base, Swift can move any needle with the tiniest of efforts.

The right and the left have long wanted to count the "Blank Space" singer as their own -- but for years Swift stayed conspicuously out of politics, including in 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidency.

Speculation abounded that the superstar was a closet Republican until 2018, when she broke both her silence and the internet by endorsing the Democratic opponent of far-right politician Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.

Blackburn won anyway, but it ushered in a new chapter for Swift.

She later explained that handlers had urged her against wading into politics, telling her it could damage her career -- particularly in the country music industry, which despite its complexities is often associated with conservatism.

Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and has conveyed pro-LGBTQ messages through her songs and music videos.

She also condemned the Supreme Court's reversal of the federal right to abortion, and has encouraged droves of her fans to register to vote.

But Swift's massive popularity has also meant she's a regular target for political misinformation and right-wing conspiracy theories, often fueled by AI and amplified by the likes of Trump.

Speaking out on her own terms gripped the news cycle within seconds of going live, and her post notched more than two million "likes" after just 30 minutes.

"With love and hope, Taylor Swift," she concluded her message.

(B.Smith--TAG)