Do Celebrity Endorsements Matter? Within Minutes of Taylor Swift’s Endorsing Vice President Harris for President, More Than 300,000 Swifties Registered to Vote.
HARRIS-SWIFT
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on September 10, 2024, shows US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris smiles during a presidential debate with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift performs on stage as part of her Eras Tour in Lisbon on May 24, 2024. Taylor Swift, a self-declared “childless cat lady,” has endorsed Kamala Harris for president of the United States. The global megastar broke her silence on the current state of US politics September 10, 2024, voicing support for Harris over Donald Trump for the White House and calling the Democratic candidate a “steady-handed, gifted leader.” (Photo by SAUL LOEB and ANDRE DIAS NOBRE / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEBANDRE DIAS NOBRE/AFP via Getty Images)
By Jade Lopez, CRDN
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris went head-to-head for their first debate as elected candidates in Philadelphia Tuesday night. With clear differences in healthcare, immigration, taxes, gun control, and other major policies, the fate of our nation lies in the hands of American voters this November.
Harris, who has officially replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, has announced her plan, if elected, to tighten gun control, implement drastic tax cuts for the middle class, impose heavy tax increases on wealthy corporations, protect Medicare and Social Security, provide first-time homebuyers with up to 25,000 dollars for their down payment (with more aid to lower-income households.) Harris also wants to restore Roe v. Wade and abortion rights, focus on a “ceasefire” deal concerning Israel and Gaza, and support comprehensive immigration reform.
Wanting a second run at the White House, Trump has announced his support of closing the border entirely and expanding patrol in areas with increased illegal immigration, removing the United States from foreign conflicts, raising tariffs, and providing taxpayer-funded IVF treatments. Additionally, Trump vows to restore safety in high-crime cities by protecting police departments and upping the presence of law enforcement. While he maintains a pro-life abortion stance, he claimed during the debate that he is not in favor of a federal abortion ban and will not ban abortion medication.
With over thirty false claims and accusations without evidence, comments made by former president Donald Trump during the debate were proven to be baseless and lies, compared to Kamala Harris’s single false claim.
With statements such as “we have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums,” “21 million people” are crossing the border monthly into the United States, and “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats… they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” These three claims Trump made regarding illegal immigrants in the country were fact checked and proven to be false.
Trump also claimed that “they have abortion in the ninth month. They even have – and you can look at the governor of West Virginia, the previous governor of West Virginia, not the current governor; he’s doing an excellent job. But the governor before, he said, ‘The baby will be born, and we will decide what to do with the baby,’ in other words, ‘We’ll execute the baby.” No state in the United States allows for the execution of an infant after it has been born.
After the debate concluded, many prominent celebrities took to social media advocating their support for their party, with figures such as Elon Musk, Amber Rose, and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White backing Donald Trump, while others such as Ariana Grande, George Clooney, and most notably, Taylor Swift supporting Harris.
Promptly following Tuesday night’s debate, billionaire superstar Taylor Swift took to Instagram to share her endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. 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. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Swift stated specific reasons as to why she is voting for the pair, and said “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.”
The URL Swift posted to her Instagram story prompted over 400,000 people to visit vote.gov, compared to the normal 30,000 daily visitors, according to the General Services Administration. With over 10 million likes on the post, it is undeniable that the pop singer’s impact on voter engagement has encouraged thousands to cast their vote this November.
Swift signed her post “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” a direct response to JD Vance, Donald Trump’s Vice President pick. In 2021, Vance stated during an interview that the country was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies” who he claimed were “miserable in their own lives.” Vance, who spoke with Martha MacCallum on Fox News the day after the debate stating, “We admire Taylor Swift’s music, but I don’t think most Americans, whether they like her music or are fans of her or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity.”
Swift, however, has proven that her social, economic, and political impact goes well beyond the music industry. With millions of fans across the world, there is no doubt that the Taylor Swift Effect will play a role in the polls this election year.