CHICAGO — Former President Donald Trump caused a stir Sunday when he reposted an artificially created image on his Truth social account that falsely suggested he had an endorsement from Taylor Swift, one of the world’s most famous and influential celebrities.
Gen Zers attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday responded to the news with wit and sarcasm, while easing concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence.
Swift endorsed Biden in the 2020 election and urged her fans to register to vote, leading to a surge in new registrations across the country, but the superstar is not involved in the current presidential race.
Maya Luna, a 20-year-old youth voter activist from Connecticut, laughed and said the online furor was more evidence that the former president is a “lying idiot.”
“His campaign is collapsing and he can’t attack Kamala without descending into racism and misogyny, so that’s what he has left,” she said.
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Luna, of the Gen Z group Progress Lives, doesn’t think Swift’s endorsement will change the landscape of the presidential race, saying his organization and others like it have already garnered a lot of support for the newly formed Harris-Waltz pairing.
What’s “even crazier” is the fact that the president’s campaign may have mistaken the AI for reality, Luna said.
“I have no sympathy for Trump whatsoever. … But maybe he’s just an old guy who thought it was real.”
Annika Zander, 28, thinks this raises an important policy question.
“I think AI regulation is long overdue,” Chander said. “I was worried about people who would believe it. … We need a way to protect people who can’t easily identify that content.”
“This seems like a really good opportunity to bring this into the mainstream political debate,” she said, noting that Swift is “known to be litigious.”
The image in question shows Swift dressed like Uncle Sam with the words, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” Trump reposted the image with the word “accept.”
While the singer has not commented on the fake images, the Trump campaign is stepping up its offensive.
Public relations director Steven Chang released a statement claiming that Swift, a former Republican, has the support of many of her fans.
“Swifties for Trump is a mass movement that grows every day. Kamala Harris is guilty of all the pain she has inflicted on all Americans,” the statement said.
CNN reports that two of the photos of Trump supporters wearing “Swifties for Trump” T-shirts are real, but several others were AI-generated.
Jenna Napple, 26, said Swift’s endorsement would mean a lot to her because she has a lot of influence among young people, many of whom care more about celebrities than real issues, and she worries fans will mistakenly believe Trump is endorsing Swift.
“Some people may jump on the bandwagon because they think this is really real and their favorite artist is supporting this, so I think this could potentially have some impact,” Napple said. “We see Taylor Swift fans taking a lot of action believing Taylor Swift and what she’s saying.”
“It makes me laugh because it’s so true,” agreed Elisa Calderon, 24, in a separate interview. “I think if Taylor endorses Harris, it will have a big impact on young people.”
Tyler Sykes, 19, said he expects the support of Swift, as well as that of another megastar who could have a similar impact and influence on young voters: Beyoncé.
Beyonce has not yet endorsed any candidate, but she gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” as her campaign theme song, sparking speculation that she may soon endorse her.
Sykes said the endorsement of either star would not influence his voting behavior, but added that it might be different in other situations where he isn’t sure who to vote for.
He said he was excited to cast his vote for Harris for the first time in a presidential election and noted its historic significance.
“I’m very excited and the possibility of having the first female president is a huge opportunity for me in my first presidential election,” he added.
