After weeks of speculation, Taylor Swift has officially announced her endorsement in the 2024 presidential election, writing on Instagram that she will in fact be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz this November. The statement came right after the first debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump, with the pop star writing: “Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If 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.”
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She then went on to explain that she was recently “made aware” that there’s an AI version of her “falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run.” The singer said: “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.”
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Swift made her intentions quite clear. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she wrote. “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.”
At the end of her post, Swift encouraged her fans to do their own research and register to vote, linking to vote.gov in her Instagram Stories. She then signed off as “Taylor Swift,” the “Childless Cat Lady,” a dig at a previous comment from Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance.
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Swift has supported Democratic candidates in recent years, but this is the first time she’s endorsed a female candidate for president. As she told ELLE magazine in 2019, she’s come to find her voice when it relates to politics: “Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realised that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I’m going to do more to help.”
This article was first seen on ELLE US.