By Daniel D'Addario
Will Taylor Swift Endorse Kamala Harris? Here's What a Campaign Adviser Had to Say
Taylor Swift’s fans and detractors alike can likely agree on one thing: There’s little, if anything, that the world’s most famous artist does without intent and foresight. This is also true of her forays into politics. She endorsed a Democratic candidate for Senate in Tennessee in the 2018 midterm elections; she framed the promotion of her album “Lover” around well-intentioned but muddled pro-LGBTQ sentiments in 2019; and then endorsed Joe Biden for president in 2020. The 2018 endorsement in particular marked a turning point for Swift — it was the first time she had spoken directly about electoral politics. Netflix’s 2020 feature-length documentary about Swift, “Miss Americana,” centers on this decision, in which she tells her father, who opposes her speaking out, “I have to be on the right side of history.”
Does she feel the same need today? Though there’s still time before the Nov. 5 presidential election, Swift has thus far remained quiet. Unusually protective of her likeness, even by celebrity standards, Swift let Donald Trump’s use of AI-generated images that falsely suggested she supported him pass unnoticed; unusually willing to use high-profile friendships to show different sides of herself, she hung out at the U.S. Open with Brittany Mahomes, who Trump has thanked for her support.
From some perspective, Swift seems to have no more responsibility to speak out than any other public figure — perhaps she could argue that she has a responsibility to remain silent. In her only public comments about the foiled plot to stage a terrorist attack on a planned concert in Vienna, Swift wrote on Instagram, "Let me be very clear: I will not speak publicly about anything if I believe it will provoke those who seek to harm the fans who come to my shows." Her Eras Tour will continue through December, after the election; it's not unreasonable to think that Swift speaking out about a highly contentious race might carry an element of risk. (Indeed, that was one of the arguments for staying silent presented to her in her documentary.)
