(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
AP
Washington: Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the presidential debate ended.
"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,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in an Instagram post, which included a LINK to a voter registration website.
Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.
She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message "Childless Cat Lady.”
The remark is a reference to three-year-old comments made by JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.
A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.
"That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that's the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”
Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by Trump's decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said "Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”
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Trump's posts "brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that "I've done my research, and I've made my choice."
Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move "was just a question of time.” He told "Fox & Friends” that Swift is "a very liberal person” who "seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”
In 2020, she supported Democrat Joe Biden, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked "the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.
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