Former President Trump on Sunday promoted images — some of which were generated by artificial intelligence — showing apparent support from singer Taylor Swift and her fans, sparking widespread media condemnation.
Trump posted a collage of Swift-related images to his Truth social account, an apparent show of support from the pop star and her die-hard fans, known as “Swifties.” One doctored image mimics the classic Uncle Sam recruitment poster, showing Swift dressed in red, white and blue with the caption, “Taylor Swift wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” Above the image, he wrote, “I agree!”
Other images include the satirical headline “Swift Fans Turn to Trump After ISIS Shuts Down Taylor Swift Concert,” accompanied by a fake image created by X-user, featuring an AI-generated image of a fan wearing a “Swift Fan Trump” T-shirt. Trump also posted what appears to be a genuine photo of a young woman wearing a “Swift Fan Trump” T-shirt.
“Swifties for Trump is a massive movement that grows bigger every day,” Trump spokesman Steven Chang told Fox News Digital when asked for comment. “Kamala Harris is guilty of all the pain she has caused all Americans.”
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Donald Trump/Taylor Swift (Getty Images)
Trump’s post sparked a media firestorm, with online headlines infuriating people who claimed he was falsely endorsing Swift.
“Trump reshared posts from supporters that promoted the idea of a ‘Swifties for Trump’ movement that has little basis in reality,” NBC News reported. The Daily Beast called it part of the internet’s “Sunday meltdown.” Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell told CNN that Trump was wrong to decide to “ignite the Swifties.”
“Trump Shares Fake AI Taylor Swift ‘Endorsement,'” Teen Vogue ran a blaze. “Trump’s Bizarre AI Stunt to Win Taylor Swift Endorsement Backfires,” The New Republic reported. “Trump Shares Fake ‘Swifties for Trump’ Image,” ran a Rolling Stone headline.
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The Huffington Post suggested Trump had been duped: “Trump Fooled by AI-Generated Taylor Swift Fan in Bizarre Endorsement Claim,” while another headline in Forbes read, “Trump Shares Fake Taylor Swift ‘Endorsement’ — It Can’t End Well.”
Some of her liberal enthusiasts, such as Swifties For Kamala, an X-group that supports Kamala Harris and has more than 62,000 followers, aren’t so pleased either.
“We don’t represent all Swifties for Harris supporters, but we think there’s reason we shouldn’t need an AI to show our support for Kamala,” Swifties4Harris co-founder Eileen Kim told WIRED.
Trump has admitted in the past that Swift is not a supporter, so he could have been joking about “accepting” the fictitious endorsement, or he could have simply been referring to accepting support from Swift’s fans.
Taylor Swift performed onstage at her Eras tour in Munich, Germany on July 27th. (Thomas Niedermuller/TAS24/Getty Images)
Swift has not endorsed a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, but if she did, it would certainly not be for Trump. Swift was previously criticized by liberals for being apolitical, but she made her breakthrough in 2018 when she endorsed former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Democratic congressional candidate Jim Cooper in the U.S. Senate race against Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn.
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A behind-the-scenes look at 2020 Netflix Documentaries “Miss Americana” Swift gave an emotional speech to her parents explaining why she had sought to enter the political debate with her posts criticizing Blackburn. She also said she deeply regretted not speaking out publicly against Donald Trump when he ran for president in 2016 and won, and didn’t care if it would have caused backlash.
In 2020, she endorsed Biden and tweeted that Trump stoked white supremacy and racism and that she would “vote you out in November.” Swift has also spoken out in support of LGBTQ rights and slammed the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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Representatives for Harris’ campaign and Swift did not respond to requests for comment.
