Donald Trump had a few choice words to get off his chest Sunday morning (September 15). Taking to his Truth Social platform, he wrote simply: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,” making his feelings about the pop star perfectly clear.
The message arrives just four days after Trump faced Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential debate, which many political pundits believe she won.
Shortly after it concluded, Taylor Swift officially endorsed Harris, encouraging her 284 million followers to vote for her in November. She referred to herself as the “childless cat lady” and included a photo of herself holding a cat.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” she wrote. “f you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.
Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
She continued, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. 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. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.
“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. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.”
Trump’s running mate, J.D Vance, later went on FOX News and said, “We admire Taylor Swift’s music, but I don’t think most Americans, whether they like her music or are fans of her or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity.” He added, “I don’t think most Americans are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans”
Vance might want to do his research. In the wake of Swift’s endorsement of Harris, more than 400,000 people headed to VOTE.com to register.
Swift also shared a crucial reminder, especially for first-time voters: “Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.” She included a link to Vote.gov, a website run by two federal agencies — the General Services Administration and Election Assistance Commission —that helps people register and verify their registration status.
In the three hours after Swift shared the link, between 9 p.m. and midnight ET on Tuesday (September 10), there was a 585 percent spike in voters using the site’s registration and verification tools (compared to the same time frame over the previous eight days). Over the next 24 hours, about 406,000 people clicked on Swift’s link, accounting for more than half of the approximately 727,000 people who visited Vote.gov.