Donald Trump insisted there isn’t any bad blood between him and Taylor Swift, claiming there is “no way” the pop megastar will endorse Joe Biden.
Why did Trump say Swift would prefer him over Biden, even though she endorsed Biden in 2020 and has repeatedly criticized the former president? Trump claimed she won’t be “disloyal” because he “made her so much money,” referring to when he signed copyright reform legislation that streamlined how rights-holders get paid when their music plays on streaming services.
“I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday. “Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will. There’s no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.”
Trump’s claim is all the more absurd considering Swift broke her career-long political silence to speak out against him and other Republicans during his administration. In a 2019 Elle piece, Swift wrote, “Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric.”
Later that year, she spoke out against Trump and called herself “pro-choice.” “We’re a democracy — at least, we’re supposed to be — where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that [Trump] thinks this is an autocracy,” she told The Guardian.
Ahead of the 2020 election, Swift tweeted that Trump was “WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president.”
Rolling Stone reported last month that Trump has privately promised a “holy war” against Swift, especially if she endorses Democrats in 2024. The former president has told aides that he is “more popular” than her and that his fans are more committed than Swift’s.
Swift has been in the spotlight even more than usual, appearing at NFL games cheering for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is playing in this year’s Super Bowl. Alt-right influencers and Fox News have peddled right-wing conspiracy theories that the White House has called “unhinged.” The conspiracy theories claim the NFL and the Democrats rigged the playoffs to get the Chiefs (and therefore Kelce and Swift) to the Super Bowl — all to hype up the pair ahead of their alleged future Biden endorsement.
Swift has not commented on the upcoming election or endorsed any candidates. While Kelce has not publicly endorsed a party or candidates in the past, he took a knee during the national anthem in 2017 in support of Black Lives Matter, making him one of the first white players to do so. Kelce also has a $20 million deal with Pfizer to promote the company’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Trump mentioned Kelce in his post on Sunday. “I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can’t stand me!” he wrote.
Source: Rolling Stone
