For a long time, Swift shied from weighing into politics, for a host of reasons, including her age, and desire to centre her music. During that time the alt-right exploited her silence, trying to claim her as one of their own, touting her as an “Aryan Goddess”, lauding her modest dress, her whiteness, and her blondness, claiming she was a secret white supremacist.
They were wrong.
By 2018, Swift had enough. She posted on Instagram about the Tennessee mid-term elections, where a Republican called Marsha Blackburn was running for the Senate.
“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions,” she said, “but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.”
She then turned to Blackburn: “Her voting record in Congress appals and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Re-authorisation of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”
Swift declared: “I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin colour, gender or who they love.”
Voter registrations shot up, though it is uncertain what impact this had. Blackburn won.
The ‘holy war’ against Swift
Trump grumbled that he liked Swift’s music “25 per cent less now”.
Swift has continued to criticise the presumptive Republican nominee. As the US roiled with riots after the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer, she tweeted: “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.”
Little wonder Fox News host Jeanine Pirro cautioned her recently: “Don’t get involved in politics! We don’t wanna see you there.”
The “holy war” against Swift has now included deep fakes purporting to show her nude — how else to discredit and belittle a woman by stripping her? — and conspiracy theories which fester in a petri dish of disbelief and disinformation.
Remember this number
So should the Trump campaign be worried? Maybe.
Abuse and attack of her could backfire badly, leaving usual attack dogs leashed and drooling.
And turnout is likely to be crucial in this election campaign. Swift’s supporters have been shown to turn out to vote when she tells them to. Even millennials, who have previously been loath to vote — only 23 per cent of those aged 18-29 voted in 2022. Yes, research on celebrity influence on elections is mixed. But there is also a sense there may be something unprecedented, or untested, about this particular group.
In September last year, she wrote on Instagram: “I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!”
She included a link to Vote.org, which reported an immediate 1,226 per cent jump in traffic, with 13,000 users coming on every 30 minutes.
Remember that number — it’s 2,000 more than the number of votes Trump was pushing Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” in order to help him win there in 2020. This is what it comes down to, sometimes.
There is one crucial caveat: Swift’s supporters skew Democrat anyway. Her detractors skew Republican. The fact that most of her supporters share her views may temper her impact somewhat.
