Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president in post signed ‘Childless Cat Lady’

Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after Tuesday night’s presidential debate with Donald Trump concluded.

The pop star made her announcement in an Instagram post signed “Childless Cat Lady” — a reference to comments made by Trump’s vice presidential nominee JD Vance.

Her post, breaking her silence on the 2024 vote, explained: “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to defend.”

Swift, who also endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020, went on to call Harris “a talented and steady leader.”

“I believe we can achieve much more in this country if we act with calm rather than chaos,” she added.

Swift’s post was accompanied by a photo of her with a cat. Her comment, “Babyless cat lady,” was a reference to comments made in 2021 by Trump’s vice presidential nominee Vance.

Vance, the Ohio senator, has faced backlash for a clip in which he referred to several prominent Democrats — including Harris — as “a bunch of catty, childless ladies who are miserable with their own lives.” He recently said his comments were “sarcastic”.

Swift went on to praise Harris’ vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who she said has “fought for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and women’s rights over their bodies for decades.”

The singer said she was motivated to share her voting decision with the public after an AI image falsely showing her as a Trump supporter was posted on her website.

“It really brought home my fears about AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said. “It made me come to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.”

Trump continues to accept fake images in a post that sparked backlash from Swift’s fans — known as Swifties — who accused Trump of spreading misinformation.

In response to Swift’s support for Harris, Trump told Fox News that “I’m not a Taylor Swift fan.”

He called her “a very liberal person” and said she would “pay for that in the marketplace”.

Trump supporter Elon Musk, known as the father of 12 children, posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter): “Alright Taylor… you win… I will give you a child and protect your cats with my life.”

Meanwhile, Harris’ vice presidential nominee Walz told MSNBC on Tuesday night after learning of the endorsement that he was grateful to Swift “as a cat person.”

Swift is among a number of celebrities who have come out in support of Harris, including singers John Legend and Olivia Rodrigo, actor George Clooney and director Spike Lee.

Meanwhile, former wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV star Amber Rose and billionaire Elon Musk have endorsed Trump.

Swift’s intervention came after a heated 90-minute presidential debate in which the two candidates sparred over issues such as abortion rights, the economy and immigration.

This isn’t the first time the pop star has endorsed a Democratic candidate in the race against Trump. Swift announced her support for President Joe Biden and Harris as his vice president a month before the 2020 election.

Swift has also been a fierce critic of Trump during his presidency surrounding nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd.

“After fanning the flames of white supremacy and racism throughout your presidency, you dare pretend to have moral superiority before threatening violence?” she tweeted/X. “We will vote for you in November.”

Noting Swift’s political past, one scholar who studies the relationship between media and politics said the endorsement is unlikely to give Harris an advantage.

“It’s no surprise, she supported Biden and Harris in 2020 so we already know her political views,” said Lauren Rosewarne, a professor at the University of Melbourne.

Swift’s endorsement could have an impact on voter registration, Ms Rosewarne told the BBC. But because her fan base is predominantly young and female – and that’s already the demographic that supported Harris – her endorsement may not have a big impact in November.

The singer has 283 million followers on Instagram. Her endorsement received more than 4.5 million likes on Instagram less than three hours after she posted it.

In her post, Swift urged first-time voters to register and said she would post a link with more information about voting on her page.

“I did my research and I made my choice,” she said. “Your research is all you have to do, and the choice is yours to make.”

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher analyzes the White House race in his weekly newsletter, US Election Unspun.

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