In 2020, Taylor Swift was making cookies in support of Biden, and now, in 2024, she wants YOU to vote for Donald Trump. Well, that’s what Trump has been saying.
August 18 2024, 12:50 p.m., Trump posts on the app, Truth Social, various artificial intelligence (AI) photos that depict Taylor Swift fans (Swifties) wearing shirts that state “Swifties for Trump.”
Another image was reposted of Taylor Swift dressed as Uncle Sam pointing towards the viewer with the caption “Taylor Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump” along with Trump expressing his acceptance of the “endorsement” in the post.
This post has garnered an abundance of attention both in terms of the controversy around AI deep fakes and its role in the political world, causing many to speak up about the increasing issue.
Taylor Swift, being a widely known and popular singer, has an incredibly large fan base, which allows her a powerful position of influence, including politically.
The use of Taylor Swift’s likeness despite her previous endorsement of Joe Biden, expressed during the 2020 election, has relayed many fans to speak out.
During the 2020 election, Swift had posted an image depicting her with cookies decorated to resemble the Biden and Harris’ campaign logo, announcing her support of the pair.
The caption of Swift’s posts states, “I spoke to @cmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president” as well as discussing her support for Harris as Biden’s vice presidential candidate.
Swift has yet to speak out about any endorsements or support for either current 2024 candidate, causing many to believe that Trump’s artificial images may have an impact on many Swift fans, possibly garnering votes in his favor.
This has left many Swifties upset due to the fact that there is no official group known as “Swifties for Trump” and that most of Trump’s campaign and beliefs take an opposing stance on what Swift has spoken publicly about.
After his post, many were quick to point out the increasing amount of AI- generated images Trump has been posting throughout his campaign.
Another AI-generated photo that depicted a figure, with a resemblance to Kamala Harris, holding a communist rally and a deep fake video of him dancing with X’s (formerly known as Twitter) owner, Elon Musk, who is an endorser of Trump’s campaign, were also posted.
Countless individuals have begun to reprimand Trump for these artificial photos, stating that his use of these fake images has only encouraged the creation and spread of misinformation within the political world which could lead to an unfair sway in the polls.
Despite his use of AI images, Trump has recently accused Harris of using artificial intelligence to generate and fill out crowds at rallies such as Harris’ campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan.
In various posts on Truth Social, Trump states that Harris “cheated” by using computer generated crowds and has done similarly for crowds at other campaign speeches.
He continues to suggest the disqualification of Harris, stating that “the creation of a fake image is election interference.”
These various posts have inevitably raised questions about Trump’s stance on AI and how it interferes with political campaigns and he has yet to address them.
The 2024 campaign has made it increasingly clear that both AI and the use of popular media figures, both involved in politics and not, are taking a bigger role than ever before.
As the upcoming presidential debate begins to creep closer, it has gripped many in anticipation to see the addressing of these issues and the outcome of this landmark election in November.