WASHINGTON: Global pop icon Taylor Swift has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next US president, saying she made her decision after listening to the Democrat’s policy plans at a presidential debate on Tuesday, reported Sputnik.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,“ Swift said in a post on the X platform that referred to the Democratic Party’s nominees for president and vice president, respectively.
The post had a picture of Swift holding a cat and was signed off as a “Childless Cat Lady” — an apparent dig at Trump’s running mate and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance who used that phrase to describe Harris and other women who put position and power over raising children and caring for their families.
Swift’s endorsement could be significant for Harris given the pop icon’s fan base of “Swifties” made up mostly of young people and women whom the vice president is counting on to give her the edge to beat Trump.
The 34-year-old singer, who previously backed Democrat President Joe Biden in the 2020 election when Harris was his running mate, said her present decision was made after careful thought.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,“ Swift wrote in her post. “If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country. I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
Turning to the “risks” posed by Trump, Swift said she was startled by a post on his social media website that claimed she had endorsed him when she hadn’t.
“Recently, I was made aware that AI (artificial intelligence) of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site,“ she said. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.”
Earlier in the day, a 90-minute debate between Harris and Trump took place. Harris’ campaign has suggested another debate in October, ahead of the Nov 5 election.
