With the 2024 presidential election just around the corner, there has been tension between both political parties, especially after previous Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, dropped out, which led to candidate Kamala Harris to run against Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
This election is possibly one of the most influential in the history of America, and the call to action through voting has been prominent across all platforms, which has caused many celebrities to speak up on political issues.
Because of this there is a heavy divide on celebrities and their influence on political issues. There is no denying that every celebrity has a massive platform. Many argue that it is not their responsibility to speak up as they’re celebrities to entertain, yet many others believe that it is vital for them to speak up about these issues.
This conversation has been especially strong with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who is dubbed as one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Her Eras Tour has amassed over $1.04 billion and her most recent release of “The Tortured Poets Department” still dominates music charts to this day.
However, there is always controversy with Swift and her silence on certain topics, and the most recent one has been with the upcoming elections.
As a longtime Swiftie, I had faith that Swift would speak up in the election, as she did four years ago when she endorsed Biden and Harris. I firmly believe that Swift has plans in place, understandable as there could be danger to her, based on what she says and does.
Especially with the Eras Tour still ongoing, the safety of her and her fans would be a priority. The terrorist threat on her Eras Tour concerts in Vienna most certainly would’ve helped alter any of her decisions.
The movement “Swifties for Kamala” sparked even more heat on Swift to speak up. “Swifties For Kamala” is an organization started by Swift’s fans, and they are “committed to protecting American democracy”. They had petitions, met with legislators, and hosted a kick-off to call all people to push for Harris and Tim Walz, her vice presidential candidate.
And when Swift chose to speak up, she did not disappoint. On the day of the presidential candidate debate, September 10, 2024, Swift released her statement on Instagram endorsing Harris and the Democratic party.
Swift posted a picture of herself with her cat, Benjamin Button, and in the post, Swift talks about her decision to endorse Harris and Walz, admiring Harris and calling her a “warrior” for causes that Swift herself has talked about, such as LGBTQ+ rights.
She signed off as “Childless Cat Lady”, which was a dig at Trump’s vice president candidate, JD Vance. Vance had made a comment about how women without children are not equal in the country’s future. How Taylor Swift-coded of her.
Comedy aside, Swift’s endorsement of Harris is vital to the election. With a demographic of millions of women and adolescents, Swift allows for these people to get involved in the election even more, essential to this upcoming election.
Her post alone sent over 338,000 people to Vote.gov to register to vote, a mere 15 hours after her initial statement, further showing her impact in the political world.