Political impact of Taylor Swift

File:Taylor Swift at the Golden Globes 2024 (Enhanced, cropped) 2.jpg (2024)]]

The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has exerted a significant political influence. Examined in an extensive body of reporting and analysis, the magnitude of her fame distinguishes her leverage in the politics of the United States from that of other American music artists. Elsewhere, Swift has inspired or been acknowledged by politicians from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Southeast Asia, and the European Union, amongst other places. Music critics have described some of her songs, such as "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" (2019) and "Only the Young" (2020), as political protest songs.

Swift was initially apolitical, avoiding commenting on political topics due to the 2003 Dixie Chicks controversy. After the election of Donald Trump, the 45th U.S. president, she revealed her political stance for the first time, endorsing the Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections in her home state Tennessee, via a highly publicized Instagram post. Characterized as a liberal, Swift is pro-choice, an advocate of gender equality, LGBT rights and gun control, and a vocal critic of racism, white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, and police brutality. She condemned the first Trump presidency, accusing it of racism and fostering violence during the George Floyd protests, criticized the policies of the Republican senator Marsha Blackburn and the overruling of Roe v. Wade, and supported the Equality Act, the creation of Juneteenth as a national holiday and the removal of Confederate statues. She endorsed the Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 United States presidential election, and Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 election.

Subject to media scrutiny, Swift has been praised and criticized by all sides of the political spectrum. In the early 2010s, some neo-Nazis theorized that Swift is their "Aryan" figure in the media, citing her political silence; however, after her open support for Democrats, conservative media outlets alleged she is a "Pentagon psy-op" of the Democrat-led U.S. government. Trumpists and the right wing have derided her "woke" liberal views. On the other hand, a few liberal commentators downplayed Swift's political activism as either performative or inadequate. Nevertheless, Swift has caused unprecedented increases in voter registrations and inspired a variety of legislations, dubbed "the Taylor Swift effect". According to The Times, even though Swift is left-aligned, a portion of the right wing still "covet" her, making her a unifying entity that could help bridge the political divide of the U.S. by drawing various demographics to her cause. Various surveys have reported Swift's approval ratings to be higher than those of Biden and Trump, attributing her political sway in the U.S. to her status as an anomalous American cultural icon. Trump has frequently criticized Swift after her endorsements of Democrats.

Swift's fanbase, the Swifties, have been compared to a voting bloc in electoral politics. Various heads of government of the world, such as Justin Trudeau, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Leni Robredo, Gabriel Boric, Emmanuel Macron, and Ulf Kristersson, consider Swift a positive influence on citizens; Chinese state media has consistently praised Swift. On the other hand, Swifties have been the target of extremist attacks such as the 2024 Southport stabbing and the ISIS-assisted Vienna terrorism plot.

Background

{{See also|Cultural impact of Taylor Swift|Public image of Taylor Swift|label 1=Cultural impact}}

File:Joe Biden and Donald Trump.jpg, 53% of adult Americans are fans of Swift, far higher than approval ratings of Joe Biden (left) and Donald Trump (right) in 2023.{{Cite news |last=Austin |first=Ellie |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: the superstar who bridges America's political divide |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/taylor-swift-the-superstar-who-bridges-americas-political-divide-6rzmnnvmg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506053901/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taylor-swift-the-superstar-who-bridges-americas-political-divide-6rzmnnvmg |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=The Times |issn=0140-0460}}]]

As an American cultural icon,{{Cite web |last=Nicolaou |first=Anna |date=September 11, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris as 'steady-handed' leader |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6b9dbee2-749e-4a5c-8d1a-8ba7f311a8b9 |access-date=September 11, 2024 |website=Financial Times |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911071212/https://www.ft.com/content/6b9dbee2-749e-4a5c-8d1a-8ba7f311a8b9 |url-status=live }} Swift is a powerful personality in the politics of the United States. She is the most influential musician in the political sphere, as per Forbes.{{Cite magazine |last=Cohen |first=Seth |title=From Bad Blood To Lover: How Taylor Swift Became The Most Powerful Voice In Politics |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/10/11/from-bad-blood-to-lover-how-taylor-swift-became-the-most-powerful-voice-in-politics/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711213240/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/10/11/from-bad-blood-to-lover-how-taylor-swift-became-the-most-powerful-voice-in-politics/ |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}}{{Cite magazine |date=June 1, 2023 |title=2023 America's Self-Made Women Net Worth — Taylor Swift |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/taylor-swift/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110003752/http://www.forbes.com/profile/taylor-swift |archive-date=January 10, 2011 |access-date=June 1, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}} Swift has been cited in various legal proceedings as a precedent or a source of example.{{Cite magazine |last=Donahue |first=Bill |date=November 1, 2023 |title=SCOTUS Swifties? Taylor Swift Gets Name-Dropped by Supreme Court at Hearing |url=https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/taylor-swift-supreme-court-mentions-judges-1235460962/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103010242/https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/taylor-swift-supreme-court-mentions-judges-1235460962/ |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} She is socially liberal,{{Cite news |last=Russell |first=Nicole |date=April 3, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift is a big social liberal, but she clearly loves capitalism, too {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/nicole-russell/article273917865.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404202711/https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/nicole-russell/article273917865.html |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |newspaper=Fort Worth Star-Telegram}} having criticized white supremacy, racism, and police brutality in the U.S.{{cite magazine |last1=Hiatt |first1=Brian |date=September 18, 2019 |title=The Rolling Stone Interview Taylor Swift |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-rolling-stone-interview-880794/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918150500/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/taylor-swift-rolling-stone-interview-880794/ |archive-date=September 18, 2019 |access-date=September 19, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=August 24, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift: 'Pop music can feel like it's The Hunger Games, and like we're gladiators' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-pop-music-hunger-games-gladiators? |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824114530/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-pop-music-hunger-games-gladiators |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}} She is pro-choice and an advocate of gender equality and LGBT rights.{{Cite magazine |last=Spruch |first=Kirsten |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Says She's 'Obviously Pro-Choice,' Criticizes Trump: 'He Thinks This Is an Autocracy' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-pro-choice-president-trump-guardian-interview-8528230/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507205058/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-pro-choice-president-trump-guardian-interview-8528230/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}}{{Cite magazine |title=Taylor Swift Promises to 'Always Advocate' for Rights of the LGBTQ Community: I'm 'Grateful for This' |url=https://people.com/music/taylor-swift-vows-to-always-advocate-for-lgbtq-community/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507205058/https://people.com/music/taylor-swift-vows-to-always-advocate-for-lgbtq-community/|date=December 2, 2020 |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=People|first=Nicholas|last=Rice}} Swift has also been censured by some liberal and conservative critics;{{Cite web |last=Bereznak |first=Alyssa |date=November 8, 2017 |title=Hearing Both Sides of Taylor Swift |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/8/16621926/hearing-both-sides-of-taylor-swift |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507151539/https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/8/16621926/hearing-both-sides-of-taylor-swift |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=The Ringer}} the former considering her activism performative,{{Cite magazine |last=Salam |first=Reihan |date=October 11, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift Succumbs to Competitive Wokeness |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/taylor-swift-kanye-west-and-competitive-wokeness/572716/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711213240/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/taylor-swift-kanye-west-and-competitive-wokeness/572716/ |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |magazine=The Atlantic}} while the latter detest her for being an outspoken "wokeism" liberal.{{Cite news |title=Trump once thought Taylor Swift was 'fantastic,' but conservatives have cooled on her |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/09/12/taylor-swift-no-longer-conservatives-favorite-pop-star/2274167001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711215051/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/09/12/taylor-swift-no-longer-conservatives-favorite-pop-star/2274167001/ |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |newspaper=USA Today|first=Maeve|last=McDermott}} She endorsed Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper for the 2018 U.S. midterm elections in her home state Tennessee,{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=August 24, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift: 'I was literally about to break' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-pop-music-hunger-games-gladiators |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525193114/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/24/taylor-swift-pop-music-hunger-games-gladiators |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |access-date=December 20, 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian}} and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the 2020 U.S. presidential election,{{Cite magazine |last=Spruch |first=Kirsten |date=May 29, 2020 |title=A Timeline of Taylor Swift's Political Evolution |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-political-evolution-timeline-8528527/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324131621/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-political-evolution-timeline-8528527/ |archive-date=March 24, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} and criticized Republican politicians Donald Trump and Marsha Blackburn.{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Ashley |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Sen. Marsha Blackburn Steps Up Feud With Taylor Swift: 'First Victim' of Marxist Government |url=https://www.thewrap.com/marsha-blackburn-taylor-swift-feud-first-victim-marxist-government/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716103745/https://www.thewrap.com/marsha-blackburn-taylor-swift-feud-first-victim-marxist-government/ |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |website=TheWrap}}

{{Tweet

| name = Taylor Swift

| username = taylorswift13

| text = After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump

| date = May 29, 2020

| ID = 1266392274549776387

| reference =

}}

= Former apolitical stance =

Swift was apolitical as a country musician, avoiding discussing political topics in her early career—noted by critics in retrospect as her time under the record label Big Machine Records. When asked by Time in 2012 regarding the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Swift said, "I try to keep myself as educated and informed as possible. But I don't talk about politics because it might influence other people. And I don't think that I know enough yet in life to be telling people who to vote for."{{cite magazine |last=Macsai |first=Dan |date=October 19, 2012 |title=Taylor Swift on Going Pop, Ignoring the Gossip and the Best (Worst) Nickname She's Ever Had |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/10/19/taylor-swift-on-going-pop-ignoring-the-gossip-and-the-best-worst-nickname-shes-ever-had/?iid=ent-main-lede |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209012354/https://entertainment.time.com/2012/10/19/taylor-swift-on-going-pop-ignoring-the-gossip-and-the-best-worst-nickname-shes-ever-had/?iid=ent-main-lede |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=July 1, 2022 |magazine=Time}} Journalists criticized Swift's lack of political activism despite her status as a celebrated figure, claiming her philanthropy is inadequate.{{cite web |last=Levine |first=Nick |date=August 21, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's Lover: The struggle to maintain superstardom |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190820-taylor-swift-and-the-struggle-to-maintain-pop-superstardom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301114553/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190820-taylor-swift-and-the-struggle-to-maintain-pop-superstardom |archive-date=March 1, 2021 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |agency=BBC}}{{cite news |last=Hawgood |first=Alex |date=November 5, 2010 |title=For Gays, New Songs of Survival |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/fashion/07ANTHEM.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609020459/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/fashion/07ANTHEM.html |archive-date=June 9, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2022 |newspaper=The New York Times}} Motivated by Swift's apoliticism, Trump called her a "terrific" role model; conservative lawmakers invited her to visit the U.S. Capitol.{{Cite news |last=McDermott |first=Maeve |title=Trump once thought Taylor Swift was 'fantastic,' but conservatives have cooled on her |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/09/12/taylor-swift-no-longer-conservatives-favorite-pop-star/2274167001/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711215051/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/09/12/taylor-swift-no-longer-conservatives-favorite-pop-star/2274167001/ |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=USA Today}} Retrospectively, critics such as The Independent's Emma Clarke have reasoned with Swift's former apoliticism, attributing it to having started "her music career in Nashville, Tennessee, a predominantly red state; the last time the Democrats won there was in 1996."{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Emma |date=September 12, 2024 |title=Why Taylor Swift's Harris endorsement will prove uniquely powerful |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/taylor-swift-endorsement-kamala-harris-trump-2024-elections-b2611491.html |access-date=September 14, 2024 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914165959/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/taylor-swift-endorsement-kamala-harris-trump-2024-elections-b2611491.html |url-status=live }}

Swift remained apolitical for the 2016 U.S. presidential election, neither supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton nor speaking against Trump, as some had expected. Critics questioned who Swift had voted for in the election as she posted a picture of her in a polling station queue. After she shared a photo of herself wearing an outfit similar to what Clinton once wore, a USA Today headline said, "Who did Taylor Swift vote for? Here's why her sweater suggests Hillary".{{Cite news |last=McDermott |first=Maeve |title=Who did Taylor Swift vote for? Here's why her sweater suggests Hillary |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/11/08/who-did-taylor-swift-vote-for-cold-shoulder-splendid-sweater-hillary-clinton/93500778/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507152736/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/11/08/who-did-taylor-swift-vote-for-cold-shoulder-splendid-sweater-hillary-clinton/93500778/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=USA Today}} Entertainment Weekly analyzed Instagram's "most popular Election Day content", reporting that some of the most-liked posts were those from Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Kourtney Kardashian, and Ariana Grande, all of whom had explicitly endorsed Clinton but that Swift's "innocuous" non-partisan post earned the most likes (2.1 million).{{Cite magazine |last=Robinson |first=Will |date=November 9, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift Had the Most-Liked Instagram on Election Day |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/11/09/election-2016-instagram-taylor-swift/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507154652/https://ew.com/article/2016/11/09/election-2016-instagram-taylor-swift/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} This showed Swift was a pop culture anomaly according to The Ringer critic Alyssa Bereznak. BBC journalist Nick Levine found her political silence "increasingly conspicuous".

= Sociopolitical scrutiny =

According to Bereznak, apoliticism might have been "an advantageous business strategy" for pop stars before; however, for cultural figures like Swift, their "actions, communication, and work" are analyzed by the media in a political lens. In 2017, Swift supported the 2017 Women's March via Instagram, which was met with criticism from both fans and critics, who felt it was pointless as Swift refused to channel her feminist activism into politics. The Cut suggested that, even though Clinton had the open support of Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Bruce Springsteen, Swift's public endorsement "could have" helped her become president.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Allie |date=October 17, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift Won't Save Us From Donald Trump |url=https://www.thecut.com/2016/10/taylor-swift-wont-save-us-from-donald-trump.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507182214/https://www.thecut.com/2016/10/taylor-swift-wont-save-us-from-donald-trump.html |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=The Cut}} Medford opined Swift cannot subsist in a political vacuum as it becomes "deafeningly noticeable". Criticizing her use of social media only for music announcements and not politics, Medford wrote: "To have such a large, wide-reaching platform and use it only for the advancement of your own ambition reflects poorly, regardless of how progressive your politics may be."{{Cite magazine |last=Medford |first=Grace |date=January 31, 2017 |title=Why Not Even Taylor Swift Can Exist in a Political Vacuum |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/taylor-swift-trump-inauguration-muslim-ban-self-promotion/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507170904/https://www.vice.com/en/article/ypnwdb/taylor-swift-trump-inauguration-muslim-ban-self-promotion |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Vice}}

Some critics attributed Swift's political silence to a significant portion of her fandom in 2014 being conservative country fans.{{Cite magazine |last=Dodson |first=P. Claire |date=July 11, 2017 |title=It's Time For Taylor Swift To Denounce The Nazi Nonsense |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40492364/its-time-for-taylor-swift-to-denounce-the-nazi-nonsense |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017160148/https://www.fastcompany.com/40492364/its-time-for-taylor-swift-to-denounce-the-nazi-nonsense |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |access-date=November 9, 2023 |magazine=Fast Company}} The most intense sociopolitical criticisms alleged that Swift is a crypto-fascist.{{sfn|Prins|2020|page=144}}{{Cite web |last=Kircher |first=Madison Malone |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Here's the Exact Moment Taylor Swift Decided to Get Political |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/miss-americana-shows-why-taylor-swift-got-political.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507173257/https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/miss-americana-shows-why-taylor-swift-got-political.html |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=Vulture}} Exploiting her persisting political silence in 2016 and 2017, some white supremacists in the U.S. considered Swift one of them—a neo-Nazi.{{Cite magazine |last=Bryant |first=Kenzie |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift's Politics and the Death of One of the Internet's Worst Memes |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/10/taylor-swift-political-instagram-alt-right-meme-daily-stormer-4-chan |access-date=November 7, 2024 |magazine=Vanity Fair}} Some alt-right websites such as The Daily Stormer and Breitbart News praised her,{{sfn|Prins|2020}} with The Daily Stormer proclaiming her as their "Aryan Goddess",{{Cite magazine |last=Schwedel |first=Heather |date=May 23, 2016 |title=Neo-Nazis Consider Taylor Swift Their "Aryan Goddess" |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/05/taylor-swift-has-a-surprising-number-of-fans-among-neo-nazis-white-supremacists-and-the-alt-right.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507134853/https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/05/taylor-swift-has-a-surprising-number-of-fans-among-neo-nazis-white-supremacists-and-the-alt-right.html |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Slate |issn=1091-2339}}{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Kathleen |date=May 24, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift Is an "Aryan Princess" With a Racist Agenda, Say Internet Neo-Nazis |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/taylor-swift-aryan-princess-racist-163300437.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507173254/https://www.yahoo.com/news/taylor-swift-aryan-princess-racist-163300437.html |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |agency=Yahoo! News}}{{Cite web |last=Donella |first=Leah |date=May 27, 2016 |title=Taylor Swift, Aryan Goddess? |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/27/479462825/taylor-swift-aryan-goddess |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507181746/https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/05/27/479462825/taylor-swift-aryan-goddess |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |publisher=NPR}} waiting for Trump's win to announce her "Aryan Agenda" to the world.{{Cite news |last=Schaefer |first=Brian |date=May 26, 2016 |title=Neo-Nazis Find Appeal in Taylor Swift as 'Aryan Goddess' |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2016-05-26/ty-article/neo-nazis-find-appeal-in-taylor-swift-as-aryan-goddess/0000017f-e98b-da9b-a1ff-edef0f9c0000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929030748/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2016-05-26/ty-article/neo-nazis-find-appeal-in-taylor-swift-as-aryan-goddess/0000017f-e98b-da9b-a1ff-edef0f9c0000 |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=Haaretz}} Liberal media outlets demanded Swift to clarify her political stance. When a blog post by PopFront, a left-wing website, alleged that her 2017 single "Look What You Made Me Do" was a "subtle" alt-right nod, Swift's team called the post defamatory and demanded that PopFront "issue a retraction, remove the story from all media sources, and cease and desist", or face legal consequences.{{Cite magazine |date=November 7, 2017 |title=Taylor Swift Is Getting Called Out by the ACLU. Here's Why |url=https://time.com/5013047/taylor-swift-popfront-aclu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507181746/https://time.com/5013047/taylor-swift-popfront-aclu/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Time}} The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized Swift for attempting to "suppress constitutionally protected speech".{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |date=November 6, 2017 |title=Taylor Swift Criticized by ACLU After Sending Cease and Desist Letter to Blogger |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-criticized-by-aclu-after-sending-cease-and-desist-letter-to-blogger/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507181747/https://pitchfork.com/news/taylor-swift-criticized-by-aclu-after-sending-cease-and-desist-letter-to-blogger/ |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=Pitchfork}}

NPR journalist Leah Donella asserted that there is no reason to think Swift is a white supremacist, stating "she has no affiliation with any white supremacist groups. She has never publicly made any white supremacist remarks, nor has she ever been accused of making them in private". Donella noted claims that Swift is a white supremacist rest solely on the fact that she is white, "looks white, and hangs out with mostly white people", justifying the latter with 2014 studies demonstrating that a white person has only one person of color as a friend for every 91 white friends: "This isn't a Taylor Swift thing. It's a housing segregation/workplace diversity/general American history thing."

Swift has been criticized by fans and journalists over a number of other issues. Her private jet usage and lack of climate activism is often mentioned in the mainstream media.{{Cite news |last=Mendez |first=Lola |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift claims she offsets her travel carbon footprint - how does that work? |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240213-taylor-swift-private-jet-flight-travel-carbon-footprint |access-date=June 16, 2024 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620122605/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240213-taylor-swift-private-jet-flight-travel-carbon-footprint |url-status=live }} It has also been highlighted that she has not publicly commented on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/taylor-swift-eras-tour-security-guard-joins-israeli-forces-to-fight-hamas-b1114696.html|title=Taylor Swift Eras tour security guard joins Israeli forces to fight Hamas|last=McLoughlin|first=Lisa|date=October 19, 2023|newspaper=Evening Standard|access-date=June 2, 2024|archive-date=December 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208091459/https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/taylor-swift-eras-tour-security-guard-joins-israeli-forces-to-fight-hamas-b1114696.html|url-status=live}} Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, Swift received some backlash over her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, reportedly playing in Jerusalem.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/growing-number-swifties-are-calling-taylor-swift-break-silence-gaza-rcna154569|title=A growing number of Swifties are calling on Taylor Swift to break her silence on Gaza|date=May 31, 2024|publisher=NBC News|last=Yang|first=Angela|access-date=June 2, 2024|archive-date=May 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531053900/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/growing-number-swifties-are-calling-taylor-swift-break-silence-gaza-rcna154569|url-status=live}} In November 2023, Israel's official Twitter account asked Swift to call for the return of a hostage who was a fan of hers.{{Cite news |last=McHardy |first=Martha |date=November 7, 2023 |title=Israel asks Taylor Swift to help find teen missing since Hamas attacks |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/taylor-swift-israel-missing-hamas-gaza-b2443124.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108032141/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/taylor-swift-israel-missing-hamas-gaza-b2443124.html |archive-date=November 8, 2023 |access-date=June 4, 2024 |newspaper=The Independent}} In December 2023, Swift attended a pro-Palestinian fundraiser event for Gaza, organized by Egyptian-American comedian Ramy Youssef.{{Cite news|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2425056/lifestyle|title=Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez attend fundraising event for Gaza|date=December 13, 2023|newspaper=Arab News|archive-date=June 6, 2024|access-date=June 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606163857/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2425056/lifestyle|url-status=live}} After the Tel al-Sultan massacre in 2024, members of Swift's fanbase urged her to comment on the conflict.{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/6983331/swifties-callout-taylor-swift-palestine/|title=Swifties Demand Taylor Swift 'Speak Now' on Gaza|last=Lee|first=Chantelle|date=May 29, 2024|magazine=Time|access-date=June 2, 2024|archive-date=May 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531222157/https://time.com/6983331/swifties-callout-taylor-swift-palestine/|url-status=live}}

Endorsements

= 2018 US midterm elections =

{{See also|Miss Americana{{!}}Miss Americana}}

Swift voiced her political view for the first time in the 2018 midterm elections, "breaking her political silence" according to the media.{{Cite news |last=Stelloh |first=Tim |date=October 8, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift breaks silence, endorses two Democrats in Tennessee |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/pop-star-taylor-swift-breaks-silence-endorses-two-democrats-tennessee-n917616 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507192834/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/pop-star-taylor-swift-breaks-silence-endorses-two-democrats-tennessee-n917616 |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |agency=NBC News}} She endorsed Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper via social media posts on October 18, 2018; it was a subject of widespread media coverage and sparked much praise from fans, journalists, celebrities, and Democrats. For instance, This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner tweeted, "A big shout out to Taylor Swift for speaking out. You can single-handedly change this country. Impress your fans with how critical and powerful their voices are. If you get them to the polls on Nov 6, everything you care about will be protected".{{Cite news |last=Durkin |first=Erin |date=October 8, 2018 |title='She just ended her career: Taylor Swift's political post sparks praise and fury |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/08/taylor-swift-instagram-post-endorsement-democrats-tennessee |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507192834/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/08/taylor-swift-instagram-post-endorsement-democrats-tennessee |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} Swift also censured Republican candidate Blackburn for her "appalling" policies:{{Blockquote|text="In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions. I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in [the United States]. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening, and prevalent".}}

Swift received "fierce backlash" from Republicans, Trumpists, and right-wing supporters who felt "betrayed" by Swift and criticized, slut-shamed, and berated her online; they claimed she "ended" her career with decision and should have "shut up" and "stick to music". The National Republican Senatorial Committee opined, "If you haven't heard, multimillionaire pop star Taylor Swift came down from her ivory tower to tell hardworking Tennesseans to vote for Phil Bredesen". Charlie Kirk, president of conservative group Turning Point USA, tweeted: "You just endorsed a Democrat in the Tennessee Senate race with a ridiculous statement saying Marsha Blackburn, a woman, is against women. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about". Trump told reporters: "I'm sure Taylor Swift doesn't know anything about her. Let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25% less now, OK?". Journalist Arwa Mahdawi of The Guardian opined, "The right swiftly turned on their former goddess and she became the object of numerous conspiracy theories".{{Cite news |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=July 6, 2024 |title=It's no surprise a Newsweek writer panned Taylor Swift for being single and childless |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/06/newsweek-josh-hammer-misogyny-taylor-swift |access-date=July 8, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}

In 2019, Swift stated that when she began her country music career, Big Machine and other label executives advised her to not discuss politics, making an example of the Dixie Chicks controversy. She described the Trump presidency as an autocracy and regretted not endorsing Clinton in 2016 but said her negative press at the time made her feel "useless" and "like a hindrance".{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift: Trump thinks his presidency is an autocracy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/23/taylor-swift-trump-thinks-his-presidency-autocracy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506074329/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/23/taylor-swift-trump-thinks-his-presidency-autocracy |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} Swift added that Clinton was being called a "manipulative" liar by Trumpists on the internet—the same type of harsh comments Swift had received in 2016, following her dispute with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian—and wondered whether she would be a liability to Clinton: "Look, snakes of a feather flock together. Look, the two lying women. The two nasty women". As "millions of people were telling me to disappear", Swift decided to step away from the spotlight.{{Cite magazine |last=Aguirre |first=Abby |date=August 8, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift on Sexism, Scrutiny, and Standing Up for Herself |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-cover-september-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810081937/https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-cover-september-2019?verso=true |archive-date=August 10, 2019 |access-date=May 9, 2023 |magazine=Vogue}} Emily Strayer, member of the Chicks, opined in 2020 that Swift had much more power to change things than they ever did.{{Cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=July 17, 2020 |title=How the Music Industry Finally Caught Up to The Chicks |url=https://www.billboard.com/the-chicks-gaslighter-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225204133/https://www.billboard.com/the-chicks-gaslighter-interview/ |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |access-date=July 20, 2020 |magazine=Billboard}}

= 2020 and 2024 US presidential elections =

File:Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Portrait.jpg thanked Swift for endorsing the Democratic campaign in the 2020 U.S. presidential election; Swift went on to endorse her for president at the 2024 election.]]

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Swift endorsed Biden and Harris and lent her protest song "Only the Young" (2020) to their campaign. Harris expressed gratitude to Swift, and tweeted that the singer is showing the young voters "what's at stake" in the election.{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=October 30, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Lends 'Only the Young' to New Political Ad |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-lends-only-the-young-to-new-political-ad-1083987/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101140802/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-lends-only-the-young-to-new-political-ad-1083987/ |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{Cite news |last=Swanson |first=Ian |date=October 30, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift allows song to be used in campaign ad |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/523553-taylor-swift-allows-song-to-be-used-in-campaign-ad |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031235807/https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/523553-taylor-swift-allows-song-to-be-used-in-campaign-ad |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |newspaper=The Hill}} Forbes staff Seth Cohen found Swift's increased political engagement in the past year "notable for its high-profile approach and big hit commentary." Trump eventually lost his re-election; Biden was elected as the next U.S. president.{{Cite news |date=November 3, 2020 |title=Presidential Election Results: Biden Wins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612100157/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} Swift was found to be the second most influential celebrity in Biden's win, after LeBron James.{{Cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Will |date=October 29, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift and Tom Hanks among most influential celebrities in 2020 US election |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-and-tom-hanks-among-most-influential-celebrities-in-2020-us-election-2803521 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711214524/https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-and-tom-hanks-among-most-influential-celebrities-in-2020-us-election-2803521 |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |access-date=June 7, 2023 |magazine=NME}}

In 2024, The New York Times reported that Biden's reelection campaign viewed Swift as their "biggest and most influential endorsement target" in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, aiming to adopt a "Taylor Swift strategy" to boost his "faltering" popular support.{{Cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=Reid J. |last2=Lerer |first2=Lisa |last3=Glueck |first3=Katie |last4=Rogers |first4=Katie |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Inside Biden's Anti-Trump Battle Plan (and Where Taylor Swift Fits In) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/us/politics/biden-trump-election-taylor-swift.html |access-date=January 29, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129100618/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/us/politics/biden-trump-election-taylor-swift.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Joe Biden desperately seeking endorsement from Taylor Swift to boost polls |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2024/01/29/taylor-swift-joe-biden-democrat-endorsement-us-election/ |access-date=January 29, 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129194502/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2024/01/29/taylor-swift-joe-biden-democrat-endorsement-us-election/ |url-status=live }} Trump supporters alleged that Swift is involved in a conspiracy with the Democrats, the National Football League (NFL) and American football player Travis Kelce, Swift's boyfriend since 2023, to manipulate the voters in favor of Biden. They also claimed that the Super Bowl LVIII, where Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs competed, was rigged for the same reason.{{Cite news |last=Weismann |first=Jonathan |date=January 31, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and a MAGA Meltdown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/us/politics/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump.html |access-date=February 1, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201014256/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/us/politics/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=February 1, 2024 |title=Why Trump's MAGA Republican movement dislikes Taylor Swift |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/31/taylor-swift-trump-maga-politics/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 27, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204155810/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/31/taylor-swift-trump-maga-politics/%23b/ }}{{Cite magazine |last1=Suebsaeng |first1=Adam |last2=Rawnsley |first2=Asawin |date=January 30, 2024 |title=Trump Allies Pledge 'Holy War' Against Taylor Swift |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-more-popular-taylor-swift-maga-biden-1234956829/ |access-date=February 1, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=January 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131231843/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-more-popular-taylor-swift-maga-biden-1234956829/ |url-status=live }} They alleged Swift is a "Pentagon psy-op" asset of the Biden-led U.S. government in order to control public opinion.{{Cite news |last=McHardy |first=Martha |date=January 10, 2024 |title=Fox News pushes conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift is a psy-op |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fox-news-taylor-swift-psyop-b2476459.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110233859/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fox-news-taylor-swift-psyop-b2476459.html |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |newspaper=The Independent}}{{cite news |last=Yang |first=Angela |date=January 30, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift draws ire of conservatives after Chiefs win AFC championship |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/taylor-swift-draws-ire-conservatives-chiefs-win-afc-championship-rcna136185 |access-date=January 30, 2024 |agency=NBC News |archive-date=January 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130000454/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/taylor-swift-draws-ire-conservatives-chiefs-win-afc-championship-rcna136185 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Darcy |first1=Oliver |last2=Kaczynski |first2=Andrew |date=January 30, 2024 |title=Right-wing media figures target Taylor Swift with absurd conspiracy theory ahead of the Super Bowl |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/30/media/taylor-swift-super-bowl-right-wing-conspiracy/index.html |access-date=January 30, 2024 |agency=CNN |archive-date=January 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130123235/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/30/media/taylor-swift-super-bowl-right-wing-conspiracy/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Francesca |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Must be exhausting: How Taylor Swift became a target for misinformation |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/must-be-exhausting-how-taylor-swift-became-a-target-for-misinformation |access-date=February 4, 2024 |publisher=Logically |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202153112/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/must-be-exhausting-how-taylor-swift-became-a-target-for-misinformation |url-status=live }} Whereas, Black Lives Matter activist and chair professor of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Melina Abdullah, described the Swift-Kelce relationship as a "right-wing, white-supremacist conspiracy".{{Cite magazine |last=McDuffie |first=Candace |date=February 26, 2024 |title=Is This Black Lives Matter Leader Right About a 'Racist' Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Obsession? |url=https://www.theroot.com/is-this-black-lives-matter-leader-right-about-a-racist-1851286091 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314180205/https://www.theroot.com/is-this-black-lives-matter-leader-right-about-a-racist-1851286091 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |magazine=The Root}} Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy, who was a contender in the 2024 presidential race, tweeted, "I wonder who's going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there's a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall."{{Cite magazine |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |date=January 31, 2024 |title=Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Plotting Against America? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/01/super-bowl-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump-biden-conspiracy.html |access-date=February 5, 2024 |magazine=Slate |issn=1091-2339 |archive-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205074053/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/01/super-bowl-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump-biden-conspiracy.html |url-status=live }} Meanwhile, fellow Republican presidential contestant Nikki Haley criticized the theory, calling it "bizarre"; she said, "Nobody knows who she's gonna endorse, but I can't believe that's overtaken our national politics.... The last thing I really think we need to be worried about is who Taylor Swift is dating and what conspiracy theory is gonna have her endorsing a person for president."{{Cite magazine |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Nikki Haley Also Thinks the Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories About Taylor Swift Are Completely Nuts |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/nikki-haley-also-thinks-the-right-wing-conspiracy-theories-about-taylor-swift-are-completely-nuts |access-date=February 5, 2024 |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203083337/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/nikki-haley-also-thinks-the-right-wing-conspiracy-theories-about-taylor-swift-are-completely-nuts |url-status=live }} The Guardian reported that 18 percent of Americans (nearly one in every five) believe "Swift is part of a covert government effort to re-elect Joe Biden."

According to Vox, 2024 was "a year of paranoid speculation" as Swift's fans and critics alike attempted to determine whether Swift would once again endorse a candidate.{{Cite news |last=Conroy |first=Meredith |date=September 13, 2024 |title=How Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris could change the election end game |url=https://abcnews.go.com/538/taylor-swifts-endorsement-harris-change-election-end-game/story?id=113645967 |access-date=September 14, 2024 |publisher=ABC News |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914013257/https://abcnews.go.com/538/taylor-swifts-endorsement-harris-change-election-end-game/story?id=113645967 |url-status=live }} On February 11, 2024, Trump claimed on Truth Social that "there's no way" Swift could be "disloyal" to him by endorsing Biden, arguing he "made her so much money" by signing the Music Modernization Act into law.{{Cite news |last=Garrity |first=Kelly |date=February 11, 2024 |title=Trump to Taylor Swift: Please don't endorse someone else |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/11/trump-taylor-swift-endorse-00140864 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |newspaper=Politico |archive-date=February 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211185752/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/11/trump-taylor-swift-endorse-00140864 |url-status=live }} Dina LaPolt, an entertainment attorney instrumental behind the Music Modernization Act, told Variety "Trump did nothing on [the] legislation except sign it, and doesn't even know what the Music Modernization Act does."{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/trump-did-nothing-on-music-modernization-taylor-swift-1235907368/ |title=Donald Trump 'Did Nothing' on Music Modernization Act, Key Attorney Behind Legislation Says, Despite His Claim That He Made Taylor Swift 'So Much Money' |last=Aswad |first=Jem |magazine=Variety |date=February 11, 2024 |access-date=February 14, 2024 |archive-date=February 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214130909/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/trump-did-nothing-on-music-modernization-taylor-swift-1235907368/ |url-status=live }} After the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII, Biden posted a meme on social media poking fun at the conspiracy theory using his "Dark Brandon" persona.{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4462750-biden-trolls-maga-republicans-super-bowl-tweet/ |title=Biden trolls MAGA Republicans with Super Bowl tweet |last=Sforza |first=Lauren |newspaper=The Hill |date=February 12, 2024 |access-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212140835/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4462750-biden-trolls-maga-republicans-super-bowl-tweet/ |url-status=live }} In August 2024, Trump shared artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images that depicted a likeness of Swift endorsing Trump to Truth Social.{{Cite news |last=Segarra |first=Edward |title=Donald Trump addresses AI Taylor Swift campaign photos: 'I don't know anything about them' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/08/22/donald-trump-addresses-taylor-swift-endorsement-ai/74909148007/ |date=August 22, 2024 |access-date=August 23, 2024 |newspaper=USA Today}} The images depicted Swift as Uncle Sam, asking fans to vote Republican.

On September 10, 2024, shortly after the first presidential debate between Trump and Harris, Swift posted a picture of herself with her cat and announced her endorsement of Harris and Tim Walz in the caption. Swift also criticized Trump's use of AI to create the false endorsement in the post,{{cite news|last=Arkin|first=Daniel|date=September 10, 2024|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547|title=Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris|publisher=NBC News|access-date=September 10, 2024|archive-date=September 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917063132/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547|url-status=live}} which she signed off as "Childless Cat Lady", referencing comments made by Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance about Democrats.{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Helen |date=September 11, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president in post signed 'childless cat lady' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/sep/11/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-president-us-debate-cat-lady |access-date=September 11, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}

Trump has since consistently criticized Swift. He derided Swift's support of Harris, saying Swift will "pay a price for it in the marketplace".{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=September 11, 2024 |title=Donald Trump Trolls Taylor Swift for Endorsing Kamala Harris, Says He Likes Brittany Mahomes Better and Swift Will 'Pay a Price for It in the Marketplace' |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/donald-trump-slams-taylor-swift-endorsing-kamala-harris-brittany-mahomes-1236140683/ |access-date=September 11, 2024 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911132539/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/donald-trump-slams-taylor-swift-endorsing-kamala-harris-brittany-mahomes-1236140683/ |url-status=live }} Trump posted to Truth Social with the statement, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" in response to her endorsement. {{Cite news |last=Czachor |first=Emily Mae |date=September 15, 2024 |title=Donald Trump says "I hate Taylor Swift!" |agency=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-says-i-hate-taylor-swift/ |access-date=February 24, 2025}} Political journalist Lawrence O'Donnell described Swift's post as the most influential and "perfectly timed" celebrity endorsement of the 2024 election.{{Cite news |last=Manahan |first=Kevin |date=September 11, 2024 |title=What Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris means for presidential race: 'Perfect and powerful' |url=https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/09/what-taylor-swifts-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-means-for-presidential-race-perfect-and-powerful.html |access-date=September 11, 2024 |agency=NJ.com |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911060201/https://www.nj.com/politics/2024/09/what-taylor-swifts-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-means-for-presidential-race-perfect-and-powerful.html |url-status=live }} Female celebrities such as Stevie Nicks,{{Cite magazine |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=September 11, 2024 |title=Stevie Nicks Joins 'My Friend' Taylor Swift in Endorsing Kamala Harris as a 'Childless Dog Lady' |url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/politics/stevie-nicks-taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-1235772488/ |access-date=September 13, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912022214/https://www.billboard.com/culture/politics/stevie-nicks-taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-1235772488/ |url-status=live }} Linda Ronstadt,{{Cite news |date=September 12, 2024 |title='Am I half a childless cat lady?': After Taylor Swift, Linda Ronstadt endorses Kamala Harris |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/am-i-half-a-childless-cat-lady-after-taylor-swift-linda-ronstadt-endorses-kamala-harris/articleshow/113297251.cms |access-date=September 13, 2024 |newspaper=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} and Aubrey Plaza also made Instagram posts posing with their pets, encouraging followers to vote.{{Cite news |last=Wallace |first=Amanda |title=Aubrey Plaza, Stevie Nicks, more follow Taylor Swift in endorsements and urging people to vote |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/09/11/taylor-swift-aubrey-plaza-endorse-kamala-harris/75180328007/ |access-date=September 13, 2024 |newspaper=USA Today |archive-date=September 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913011613/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/09/11/taylor-swift-aubrey-plaza-endorse-kamala-harris/75180328007/ |url-status=live }} The Democratic National Committee released advertisements inspired by Swift's music for Harris' campaign,{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=September 13, 2024 |title=DNC Leans Into Taylor Swift's Kamala Harris Endorsement With New Ads |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kamala-harris-taylor-swift-referencing-ads-endorsement-1235101626/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} whereas Trump sold Make America Great Again (MAGA) merchandise that copied the "exact" designs of Swift's Eras Tour merchandise.{{Cite magazine |last=Paul |first=Larisha |date=September 12, 2024 |title=Trump Campaign Trolls Taylor Swift With Eras-Inspired Merch |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-campaign-taylor-swift-eras-merch-1235100950/ |access-date=September 14, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914005328/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-campaign-taylor-swift-eras-merch-1235100950/ |url-status=live }} Harris eventually lost the election; Trump was elected as the next U.S. president.{{Cite news |last=Irshad |first=Zara |date=November 11, 2024 |title=Not even Taylor Swift could help Kamala Harris secure the presidency. Here's why |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/kamala-harris-celebrity-endorsement-19895290.php |access-date=15 November 2024 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |archive-date=November 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111234619/http://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/kamala-harris-celebrity-endorsement-19895290.php |url-status=live }} He continued to criticize Swift in his second presidency.{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Conor |title=Trump Targets Billionaire Musicians Taylor Swift And Bruce Springsteen In Truth Social Attacks |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/05/16/trump-revives-taylor-swift-feud-and-calls-bruce-springsteen-highly-overrated/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The labor union American Federation of Musicians condemned Trump for his incessant "attacks" on its members such as Swift and Bruce Springsteen: "Whether it's Born in the U.S.A. or the Eras Tour, their music is timeless, impactful, and has deep cultural meaning. Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members."{{Cite web |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=2025-05-16 |title=Donald Trump’s ‘Attacks’ on Taylor Swift & Bruce Springsteen Condemned by American Federation of Musicians |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/donald-trump-taylor-swift-bruce-springsteen-condemned-amf-1235974511/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}

Songwriting

Swift has used her songwriting, videos, and other works to convey her political beliefs. Even when she was apolitical, The New York Times wrote that Swift had a positive impact on the LGBT community as a country artist by releasing the 2011 music video for "Mean". Time described "Welcome to New York" (2014), which featured the lyrics "You can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls" as an "equality anthem".{{Cite magazine |date=October 21, 2014 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Welcome to New York' Is a New Kind of Equality Anthem |url=https://time.com/3528687/taylor-swift-welcome-to-new-york-1989-new-track-gay/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725064802/http://time.com/3528687/taylor-swift-welcome-to-new-york-1989-new-track-gay/ |archive-date=July 25, 2017 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |magazine=Time|first=Daniel|last=D'Addario}} Her 2019 single "You Need to Calm Down" led to a spike in donations to GLAAD, an LGBT non-governmental organization, as the lyrics namecheck the organization.{{Cite magazine |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's 'You Need to Calm Down' Leads to Spike in GLAAD Donations |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8516079/taylor-swift-you-need-to-calm-down-glaad-donations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505013534/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8516079/taylor-swift-you-need-to-calm-down-glaad-donations |archive-date=May 5, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |magazine=Billboard}} The song has been dubbed a gay anthem.{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Taylor |date=September 18, 2019 |title=The 50 Best Gay Anthems of the 2010s |url=https://www.pride.com/music/2019/9/18/50-best-gay-anthems-2010s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206060538/https://www.pride.com/music/2019/9/18/50-best-gay-anthems-2010s |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |access-date=January 31, 2021 |website=Pride.com}}

Critics have also highlighted the political messages of "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", another 2019 song by Swift. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian lauded the track as being superior to other pop stars' "woke" attempts.{{cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift: Lover Review – Pop Dominator Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/23/taylor-swift-lover-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823042510/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/23/taylor-swift-lover-review |archive-date=August 23, 2019 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}} In an op-ed for Teen Vogue, Claire Dodson wrote that "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" successfully captures the disappointment at American politics.{{cite magazine |last=Dodson |first=Claire |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince' Is a Euphoria-Esque Discussion of Political Life in 2019 |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/taylor-swift-miss-americana-euphoria-esque-political-life-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017004046/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/taylor-swift-miss-americana-euphoria-esque-political-life-2019 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |magazine=Teen Vogue}} Writing for Variety, Chris William felt that "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" effectively conveys Swift's deep sorrow and disappointment towards American politics."{{cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=August 28, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Miss Americana' May Be the Great Protest Song of Our Time (Column) |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/opinion/taylor-swift-miss-americana-heartbreak-prince-opinion-1203317552/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829031646/https://variety.com/2019/music/opinion/taylor-swift-miss-americana-heartbreak-prince-opinion-1203317552/ |archive-date=August 29, 2019 |access-date=August 29, 2019 |magazine=Variety}} "Only the Young", which was used in advertising campaigns for Biden and Harris, has been described as a "political anthem" with lyrics aimed at the American youth, with lyrics on school shootings.{{Cite magazine |last=Huff |first=Lauren |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift releases new political anthem 'Only the Young' — listen now |url=https://ew.com/music/2020/01/31/taylor-swift-political-song-only-the-young/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102014714/https://ew.com/music/2020/01/31/taylor-swift-political-song-only-the-young/ |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Stereogum{{'}}s James Rettig opined that the song finds Swift "reckoning with the current political climate and her place in it".{{cite news |last=Rettig |first=James |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift – "Only The Young" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2071732/taylor-swift-only-the-young/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203115742/https://www.stereogum.com/2071732/taylor-swift-only-the-young/ |archive-date=February 3, 2020 |access-date=January 31, 2020 |magazine=Stereogum}} Taste of Country{{'s}} Jacklyn Krol and Cosmopolitan{{'}}s Starr Bowenbank called it Swift's most politically charged song yet.{{cite news |last=Bowenbank |first=Starr |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Gets Political on Her New Song, "Only the Young," From Her 'Miss Americana' Documentary |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a30728596/taylor-swift-only-the-young-miss-americana-lyrics-explained/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201110251/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a30728596/taylor-swift-only-the-young-miss-americana-lyrics-explained/ |archive-date=February 1, 2020 |access-date=February 1, 2020 |magazine=Cosmopolitan}}{{cite news |last=Krol |first=Jacklyn |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's 'Only the Young' May Be Her Most Politically Charged Song Yet |url=https://tasteofcountry.com/taylor-swift-only-the-young/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123184953/https://tasteofcountry.com/taylor-swift-only-the-young/ |archive-date=January 23, 2020 |access-date=January 31, 2020 |magazine=Taste of Country}} Paper{{'}}s Jael Goldfine opined the song depicts a "newly radicalized political identity" for Swift.{{cite news |last=Goldfine |first=Jael |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Said 'OK Boomer' |url=https://www.papermag.com/taylor-swift-only-the-young-2644991894.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201104910/https://www.papermag.com/taylor-swift-only-the-young-2644991894.html |archive-date=February 1, 2020 |access-date=February 1, 2020 |magazine=Paper}} U.S. House representative Eric Swalwell revealed that Swift authorized the usage of the song for the campaign free-of-cost, marking the first time she has allowed her music to be used in a political advertisement.

Lawmakers

= ''Miss Americana'' =

File:Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) official headshot - 116th Congress.jpg in 2019]]

In Miss Americana, her 2020 autobiographical documentary titled after the song, Swift narrated her political disillusionment and the events that led to make her 2018 Instagram post about her endorsement, and criticized Blackburn for her policies, saying "[Blackburn's] voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values." Swift further explained:{{Cite magazine |last=Turner |first=Ashley |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Sen. Marsha Blackburn Steps Up Feud With Taylor Swift: 'First Victim' of Marxist Government |url=https://www.thewrap.com/marsha-blackburn-taylor-swift-feud-first-victim-marxist-government/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716103745/https://www.thewrap.com/marsha-blackburn-taylor-swift-feud-first-victim-marxist-government/ |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |magazine=TheWrap}}{{Cite web |last=Shoaib |first=Alia |date=July 10, 2021 |title=Sen. Marsha Blackburn escalates feud with Taylor Swift, says singer would be the 'first victim' of socialism |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-senator-marsha-blackburn-escalates-feud-with-taylor-swift-2021-7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716102706/https://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-senator-marsha-blackburn-escalates-feud-with-taylor-swift-2021-7 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}

{{Blockquote|text=It's really basic human rights, and it's right and wrong at this point, and I can't see another commercial and see [Marsha Blackburn] disguising these policies behind the words "Tennessee Christian values". Those aren't Tennessee Christian values. I live in Tennessee. I'm a Christian. That's not what we stand for. ... She gets to be the first female senator in Tennessee, and she's Trump in a wig. She represents no female interests. She won by being a female applying to the kind of female males want us to be in a horrendous 1950s world.|author=Swift criticizing Marsha Blackburn's policies on LGBT and women's rights in Miss Americana.{{Cite web |last=Stracqualursi |first=Veronica |title=Taylor Swift calls GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn 'Trump in a wig' in new documentary |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/31/politics/taylor-swift-documentary-marsha-blackburn/index.html |access-date=September 11, 2021 |website=CNN |date=January 31, 2021 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911191147/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/31/politics/taylor-swift-documentary-marsha-blackburn/index.html |url-status=live }}}}

Blackburn, after winning the senatorial election, responded in July 2021 in the American far-right website Breitbart News, claiming liberals want a Marxist socialist society which prohibits women to perform, or create the type of music Swift does, denying private intellectual property rights,{{Cite web |last=Marcus |first=Josh |date=July 10, 2021 |title=Senator dubbed 'Trump in a wig' by Taylor Swift says 'Marxists' are coming to cancel singer |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-marxists-b1881619.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-marxists-b1881619.html |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |website=The Independent}} and that Swift "is going to be the first ones who will be cut off because the state would have to approve your music." Some political commentators suggested that Swift should run against Blackburn in the next elections.{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Jennifer |date=July 13, 2021 |title=Sen. Taylor Swift? Why some people say the singer should challenge Republican Marsha Blackburn |url=https://www.deseret.com/2021/7/13/22574064/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-and-the-problem-of-trump-becoming-a-4-letter-word-donald-trump-cpac |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715235946/https://www.deseret.com/2021/7/13/22574064/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-and-the-problem-of-trump-becoming-a-4-letter-word-donald-trump-cpac |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |access-date=July 16, 2021 |newspaper=Deseret News}}

= Creative business and private equity =

{{multiple image

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| image2 = Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Official Portrait.jpg

| alt2 = Woman in a red lipstick standing in front the US flag

| width2 = 160

| footer = Using Swift, US Democratic politicians Elizabeth Warren (pictured left) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) criticized the "predatory" purchases of creative businesses by private equity groups for harming the US economy.

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}}

In June 2019, Swift became involved in a dispute with her former record label, Big Machine Records, its founder Scott Borchetta, and its new owner Scooter Braun, over the ownership of the masters of her first six studio albums. U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential election, opined that Swift is "one of many" whose creative works have been threatened by private equity firms, who keep "gobbling up more and more of our economy, costing jobs and crushing entire industries"; Warren's presidential campaign often targeted private equity firms.{{cite web |last=Nyren |first=Erin |date=November 16, 2019 |title=Elizabeth Warren Backs Taylor Swift in Big Machine Battle, Slams Private Equity Firms |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/taylor-swift-elizabeth-warren-private-equity-1203407247/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204071034/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/taylor-swift-elizabeth-warren-private-equity-1203407247/ |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |magazine=Variety}} U.S. House representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said "private equity groups' predatory practices actively hurt millions of Americans. Their leveraged buyouts have destroyed the lives of retail workers across the country, scrapping 1+ million jobs. Now they're holding [Swift's] own music hostage. They need to be reined in."{{cite news |last=Frias |first=Lauren |title=AOC defends singer Taylor Swift and condemns private equity firms |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-defends-singer-taylor-swift-and-condemns-private-equity-firms-2019-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204071032/https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-defends-singer-taylor-swift-and-condemns-private-equity-firms-2019-11 |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |agency=Business Insider}}

American businessman Glenn Youngkin, who was the former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group—one of the parties Swift criticized in the dispute, contested in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election as the Republican candidate. Ahead of the election, former governor and Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe launched a series of advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Search, indicating Youngkin's ties with the dispute with slogans such as "#WeStandWithTaylor", a hashtag used by Swifties during the dispute; McAuliffe asked Swift's supporters to not vote for Youngkin.{{Cite news |last1=Paviour |first1=Ben |last2=Squires |first2=Acacia |date=October 5, 2021 |title=How Taylor Swift and her master recordings play into the Virginia race for governor |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043424679/how-taylor-swift-and-her-masters-are-playing-into-the-virginia-race-for-governor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114002932/https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043424679/how-taylor-swift-and-her-masters-are-playing-into-the-virginia-race-for-governor |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |access-date=October 6, 2021 |work=NPR}}{{Cite magazine |date=October 6, 2021 |title=Why Taylor Swift's Masters Are Playing a Role in Virginia Race for Governor |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/politics/9640908/taylor-swift-masters-virginia-governor-race |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012022346/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/politics/9640908/taylor-swift-masters-virginia-governor-race |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |access-date=October 6, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}} On January 14, 2022, Jared Polis, the 43rd Governor of Colorado and the first openly gay man to be elected governor of a U.S. state,{{Cite magazine |last=Nugent |first=Ciara |date=November 7, 2018 |title=Jared Polis Makes History As America's First Openly Gay Male Governor |url=https://time.com/5447591/jared-polis-openly-gay-governor/ |access-date=November 9, 2018 |magazine=Time |archive-date=November 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108140540/https://time.com/5447591/jared-polis-openly-gay-governor/ |url-status=live }} supported Swift in his annual gubernatorial address to the state and sang the chorus of "22 (Taylor's Version)" in reference to the new year of 2022.{{cite web |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Polis sings Taylor Swift song at 'State of the State' address in Denver |url=https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/video-polis-sings-taylor-swift-song-at-state-of-the-state-address-in-denver/article_f4e11f5c-74c8-11ec-bcdd-0f4e339ea04c.amp.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114183500/https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/video-polis-sings-taylor-swift-song-at-state-of-the-state-address-in-denver/article_f4e11f5c-74c8-11ec-bcdd-0f4e339ea04c.amp.html |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |website=Outtherecolorado.com}}{{cite web |date=January 13, 2022 |title=The 7 biggest lines from Gov. Jared Polis' 2022 State of the State address – and why they're so notable |url=https://coloradosun.com/2022/01/13/jared-polis-state-of-state-2022-colorado/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114000033/https://coloradosun.com/2022/01/13/jared-polis-state-of-state-2022-colorado/ |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |access-date=January 14, 2022 |website=The Colorado Sun|first1=Daniel|last1=Ducassi|first2=Jesse|last2=Paul}}

= Consumer welfare and industrial monopoly =

{{Blockquote|text="Ticketmaster's power in the primary ticket market insulates it from the competitive pressures that typically push companies to innovate and improve their services. That can result in the types of dramatic service failures we saw this week, where consumers are the ones that pay the price."|author=U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar}}

In November 2022, the American ticket sales platform Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment were met with criticism over their mismanagement of the ticket sales of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour, Swift's 2023–2024 concert tour. After widespread social media posts by customers upset with the issue, several U.S. lawmakers and consumer groups took notice of the issue.{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift Ticket Debacle: Lawmakers Demand Breakup Of Ticketmaster "Monopoly" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2206351/lawmakers-demand-ticketmaster-be-broken-up-after-taylor-swift-ticketing-crash/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126000925/https://www.stereogum.com/2206351/lawmakers-demand-ticketmaster-be-broken-up-after-taylor-swift-ticketing-crash/news/ |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |website=Stereogum}}{{Cite news |last=Timsit |first=Annabelle |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Ticketmaster to sell some fans more Taylor Swift tickets after presale fiasco |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/12/14/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-extra-tickets/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216203124/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/12/14/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-extra-tickets/ |archive-date=December 16, 2022 |access-date=December 15, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Fortune and Bloomberg News attributed the criticism to Ticketmaster's "oft-confusing multistep buying process plagued with additional fees", as well as "long waits, technical problems, and poor customer service".{{Cite news |last=Ighadaro |first=Omose |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Tennessee AG Investigating Antitrust Violations in Taylor Swift Ticket Presale |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-16/ticketmaster-s-taylor-swift-presale-investigated-by-tennessee-ag |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118193356/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-16/ticketmaster-s-taylor-swift-presale-investigated-by-tennessee-ag |archive-date=November 18, 2022 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |magazine=Bloomberg News}}{{Cite magazine |last=Adamczyk |first=Alicia |date=November 10, 2022 |title=Why are Taylor Swift Eras tour tickets so expensive? |url=https://fortune.com/2022/11/10/why-are-concert-tickets-so-expensive-taylor-swift-springsteen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125204122/https://fortune.com/2022/11/10/why-are-concert-tickets-so-expensive-taylor-swift-springsteen/ |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |magazine=Fortune}} Ocasio-Cortez and fellow House representative Bill Pascrell opined that Ticketmaster is a monopoly and that its merger with Live Nation must be dissolved.{{Cite news |date=November 16, 2022 |title=AOC demands Ticketmaster be dismantled after Taylor Swift ticket sale chaos |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/aoc-ticketmaster-taylor-swift-tickets-b2225903.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127050724/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/aoc-ticketmaster-taylor-swift-tickets-b2225903.html |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |newspaper=The Independent|first=Graig|last=Graziosi}} Senator Richard Blumenthal urged for a federal probe into the competition in the live venue music industry. He claimed that the issue "is a perfect example of how the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger harms consumers by creating a near-monopoly."{{Cite news |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |title=Taylor Swift tour ticket fiasco leads to calls for Ticketmaster and Live Nation to break up |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/16/taylor-swift-ticket-fiasco-leads-to-calls-for-ticketmaster-live-nation-to-break-up.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209210031/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/16/taylor-swift-ticket-fiasco-leads-to-calls-for-ticketmaster-live-nation-to-break-up.html |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |agency=CNBC}} Fellow senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, penned an open letter to the CEO of Ticketmaster, Michael Rapino, regarding her concerns over the company's operations.{{Cite news |last=Valinsky |first=Jordan |date=November 17, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift ticket snafu caused by Ticketmaster abusing its market power, Senate antitrust chair says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/17/business/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-amy-klobuchar-letter/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117134654/https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/17/business/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-amy-klobuchar-letter/index.html |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |agency=CNN}}

The attorneys general of Pennsylvania,{{Cite news |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift tickets: Pa. AG asks for consumer complaints |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/taylor-swift-tickets-pennsylvania-shapiro-ticketmaster-complaints/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120071122/https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/taylor-swift-tickets-pennsylvania-shapiro-ticketmaster-complaints/ |archive-date=November 20, 2022 |access-date=November 20, 2022 |agency=CBS News}} Tennessee, Nevada,{{Cite news |last=Kruesi |first=Kimberlee |date=November 19, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift tickets breakdown probed by attorneys general |url=https://apnews.com/article/josh-shapiro-business-taylor-swift-tennessee-e157badef297f7c302615b3a6080ba2a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209171835/https://apnews.com/article/josh-shapiro-business-taylor-swift-tennessee-e157badef297f7c302615b3a6080ba2a |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |work=Associated Press}} and North Carolina amongst other states, initiated investigations into the issue.{{Cite web |last=Ighodaro |first=Omose |date=November 17, 2022 |title=Tennessee, North Carolina AGs Investigating Taylor Swift Ticket Presale |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-16/ticketmaster-s-taylor-swift-presale-investigated-by-tennessee-ag |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118193356/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-16/ticketmaster-s-taylor-swift-presale-investigated-by-tennessee-ag |archive-date=November 18, 2022 |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=Bloomberg}} Pascrell, co-signed by 30 other House Democrats,{{NoteTag|Chuy Garcia, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Barbara Lee, Emanuel Cleaver, Ocasio-Cortez, Brendan Boyle, Rashida Tlaib, John Garamendi, Shontel Brown, Marcy Kaptur, Jimmy Panetta, Kathy Castor, Donald Beyer, Donald Payne, Jr., Ilhan Omar, Sanford Bishop, Ann Kirkpatrick, Jamaal Bowman, Earl Blumenauer, Katie Porter, Gerry Connolly, Rosa DeLauro, David Trone, Steven Cohen, Mondaire Jones, Josh Gottheimer, Seth Moulton, Mike Doyle, Al Green, Andy Kim, and Jamie Raskin.}} petitioned the U.S. Department of Justice to open a formal investigation into the issue.{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Pascrell Leads 31 House Democrats Demanding Federal Probe of Ticketmaster |url=https://pascrell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5229 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119050513/https://pascrell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5229 |archive-date=November 19, 2022 |access-date=November 19, 2022 |website=U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell}} Representative David Cicilline, chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, urged the Department of Justice to investigate and reverse the merger of the companies. He tweeted that "Live Nation–Ticketmaster is an unchecked monopoly."{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift tour tickets listed for as much as $22,000 as Ticketmaster crashes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/16/taylor-swift-tickets-eras-tour-dates-2023-presale-ticketmaster-crashes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210085358/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/16/taylor-swift-tickets-eras-tour-dates-2023-presale-ticketmaster-crashes |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |website=The Guardian}}

The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, declined to comment on a potential investigation onto Ticketmaster–Live Nation, but stated that the U.S. President, Joe Biden, believes "capitalism without competition isn't capitalism, it's exploitation." Biden soon tweeted that "Millions of Americans will travel home for the holidays and will get hit with hidden 'junk' fees from airlines, hotels—maybe even tickets for a holiday show the family wants to see. It isn't right. My Administration is taking actions to reduce or eliminate these surprise fees."{{Cite news |last=Kinery |first=Emma |title=White House on Taylor Swift Ticketmaster debacle: Capitalism without competition is exploitation |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/white-house-on-taylor-swift-ticketmaster-debacle-capitalism-needs-competition.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209210015/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/white-house-on-taylor-swift-ticketmaster-debacle-capitalism-needs-competition.html |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=November 20, 2022 |agency=CNBC}} Blumenthal and Blackburn wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), enquiring about the agency's "plans to fight the use of bots in ticketing",{{Cite magazine |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=November 29, 2022 |title=After Taylor Swift-Ticketmaster Fiasco, Senators Demand Answers From Federal Trade Commission |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-fiasco-senators-ftc-federal-trade-commission-1235444297/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206230517/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-fiasco-senators-ftc-federal-trade-commission-1235444297/ |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |access-date=November 29, 2022 |magazine=Variety}} and urging to enforce the Better Online Tickets Sales Act, a 2016 federal law that grants the U.S. government the authority to take down software applications that are programmed to run automated tasks online.{{Cite news |date=November 29, 2022 |title=Will the government crack down on bots after Ticketmaster's Taylor Swift meltdown? |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-11-29/ticketmaster-ftc-bots-crackdown-taylor-swift |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209085212/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-11-29/ticketmaster-ftc-bots-crackdown-taylor-swift |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=December 1, 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Jonah|last=Valdez}}

In December 2022, FTC chair Lina Khan stated that the controversial ticket-sale crash "ended up converting more Gen Zers into anti-monopolists overnight than anything I could have done."{{Cite web |title=Ticketmaster's botching of Taylor Swift ticket sales 'converted more Gen Zers into anti-monopolists overnight than anything I could have done,' FTC chair says |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ticketmasters-botching-of-taylor-swift-ticket-sales-converted-more-gen-zers-into-antimonopolists-overnight-than-anything-i-could-have-done-ftc-chair-says/articleshow/96065701.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209101550/https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ticketmasters-botching-of-taylor-swift-ticket-sales-converted-more-gen-zers-into-antimonopolists-overnight-than-anything-i-could-have-done-ftc-chair-says/articleshow/96065701.cms|date=December 8, 2022 |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |website=Business Insider|first=Sindhu|last=Sundar}} In June 2023, following a meeting with Biden and the FTC, ticketing companies such as Ticketmaster and SeatGeek formed a consensus to abolish "junk fees". Biden and the National Economic Council director Lael Brainaird released a statement claiming that the prohibition of the deceptive surprise fees applies to resorts and rentals as well. American legal scholar William Kovacic called the move the "Taylor Swift policy adjustment."{{Cite news |last=Kinery |first=Emma |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Ticketmaster parent Live Nation, others agree to show 'junk fees' after Biden pressure |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/biden-pushes-ticketmaster-seatgeek-to-show-junk-fees-upfront.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615150240/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/biden-pushes-ticketmaster-seatgeek-to-show-junk-fees-upfront.html |archive-date=June 15, 2023 |access-date=June 15, 2023 |agency=CNBC}}{{Cite news |last=Tucker-Smith |first=Owen |date=June 15, 2023 |title=How Biden and Taylor Swift beat Ticketmaster |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-06-15/how-biden-and-taylor-swift-beat-ticketmaster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616001132/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-06-15/how-biden-and-taylor-swift-beat-ticketmaster |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=June 16, 2023 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

In January 2024, the Senate judiciary committee held a hearing titled "That's the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment", to analyze the issue.{{Cite news |last=Murphy Kelly |first=Samantha |date=January 24, 2023 |title=Ticketmaster gets grilled: 6 takeaways from hearing over Taylor Swift concert fiasco |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/tech/ticketmaster-hearing-taylor-swift/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125073708/https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/tech/ticketmaster-hearing-taylor-swift/index.html |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |agency=CNN Business}}{{Cite magazine |last=Brooks |first=Dave |date=January 23, 2023 |title=Ticketmaster Plans to Blame Scalpers for Taylor Swift Debacle at Senate Hearing |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-senate-hearing-scalpers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124002749/https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-senate-hearing-scalpers/ |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |access-date=January 24, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} Media outlets reported that both the bipartisan senators censured Ticketmaster's monopolistic practices, policies, ticket costs, lack of transparency, lack of defense against bots, and insensitivity to music artists.{{Cite news |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift concert fiasco leads to US Senate grilling for Ticketmaster |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/taylor-swift-concert-fiasco-leads-to-us-senate-grilling-for-ticketmaster-8403132/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125053425/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/taylor-swift-concert-fiasco-leads-to-us-senate-grilling-for-ticketmaster-8403132/ |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |newspaper=The Indian Express}} Billboard stated that politicians of both the major political parties of the U.S., who see criticizing Ticketmaster as a "winning political issue and an opportunity to reach constituents who have long complained about the ticketing giant", are more of a threat to Ticketmaster than Swift herself.{{Cite magazine |last=Brooks |first=Dave |date=January 26, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift Is the Least of Ticketmaster's Worries After Senate Hearing |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-senate-hearing-whats-next/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127041102/https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-senate-hearing-whats-next/ |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} The Washington Post columnist Helaine Olen opined the Ticketmaster fiasco "was so bad it united the parties".{{Cite news |last=Olen |first=Helaine |date=January 26, 2023 |title=Opinion Ticketmaster's Taylor Swift debacle was so bad it united the parties |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/26/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-senate-worst-monopoly/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126183130/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/26/ticketmaster-taylor-swift-senate-worst-monopoly/ |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} CNN journalist Allison Morrow wrote that Swift's fans have united the two parties in a way "the Founding Fathers failed to anticipate".{{Cite news |last=Morrow |first=Allison |date=January 25, 2023 |title=One nation, under Swift |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/business/nightcap-taylor-swift-ticketmaster-live-nation/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127041114/https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/business/nightcap-taylor-swift-ticketmaster-live-nation/index.html |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |agency=CNN}} Media publications deemed the controversy a testament to Swift's political impact and beneficial to the music industry by driving conversations about economic inequality and antitrust laws in the US.{{Cite news |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=November 19, 2022 |title=Swifties know: the Ticketmaster fiasco shows America has a monopoly problem |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/19/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-week-in-patriarchy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210085353/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/19/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-week-in-patriarchy |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |newspaper=The Guardian}}{{Cite news |last=Schultz |first=Brooke |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift ticket trouble could drive political engagement |url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-taylor-swift-cca0dec2b454d564fa52383101725bdc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209070627/https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-taylor-swift-cca0dec2b454d564fa52383101725bdc |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |work=Associated Press}}

Forbes reported scalping of the Eras Tour tickets in the United Kingdom as well, with immediate re-listing on sites like StubHub and Viagogo for extortionate prices.{{Cite web |last=Dowrick |first=Molly |date=July 12, 2023 |title=The eye-watering charges for Taylor Swift tickets taking fans by surprise |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-eyewatering-27308705 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713030133/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-eyewatering-27308705 |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |publisher=Media Wales}}{{Cite magazine |last=Roeloffs |first=Mary Whitfill |title=Eras Tour Headaches Take U.K.: Taylor Swift Fans Complain About Website Malfunctions, Scalpers As Tickets Released |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/07/10/eras-tour-headaches-take-uk-taylor-swift-fans-complain-about-website-malfunctions-scalpers-as-tickets-released/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712164352/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/07/10/eras-tour-headaches-take-uk-taylor-swift-fans-complain-about-website-malfunctions-scalpers-as-tickets-released/ |archive-date=July 12, 2023 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}} Kevin Brennan, a U.K. Member of Parliament from Cardiff, Wales, demanded a debate in the House of Commons on the U.K. government's strategy to handle the ticket scalpers.{{Cite news |last=Bet |first=Martina |date=July 13, 2023 |title=MP demands action to protect 'our daughters' from Taylor Swift ticket resellers |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/penny-mordaunt-taylor-swift-thangam-debbonaire-labour-cardiff-b2374688.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713203143/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/penny-mordaunt-taylor-swift-thangam-debbonaire-labour-cardiff-b2374688.html |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |newspaper=The Independent}} In the Republic of Ireland's Thomas Pringle, member of the Oireachtas, criticized the "rampant price gouging" in Dublin for the tour's stop in the city as "disgraceful display of greed" by local hotels.{{Cite news |last=Chong |first=Joshua |date=August 9, 2023 |title='Swiftonomics': Here's how Taylor Swift's Toronto concerts will impact the local economy |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/swiftonomics-here-s-how-taylor-swift-s-toronto-concerts-will-impact-the-local-economy/article_b93a0f74-5558-55bc-891a-9627a8ee6788.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810232310/https://www.thestar.com/business/swiftonomics-here-s-how-taylor-swift-s-toronto-concerts-will-impact-the-local-economy/article_b93a0f74-5558-55bc-891a-9627a8ee6788.html |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |newspaper=Toronto Star}} Brazilian politician Simone Marquetto, a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies for São Paulo, proposed increasing the maximum prison sentence for scalping from one year to four years and fines up to 100 times the price set by scalpers.{{Cite magazine |last=Roeloffs |first=Mary Whitfill |title=New 'Taylor Swift Law' Could Send Scalpers To Jail For 4 Years In Brazil |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/22/new-taylor-swift-law-could-send-scalpers-to-jail-for-4-years-in-brazil/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230656/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/22/new-taylor-swift-law-could-send-scalpers-to-jail-for-4-years-in-brazil/ |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |access-date=August 10, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}}

Electoral influence

= Domestic =

Over 169,000 people registered to vote in the 2018 U.S. mid-term elections within two days of Swift's post, as per Vote.org, whereas only 59,000 people registered to vote in the 30 preceding days. Publications credited the Taylor Swift effect.{{Cite news |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=October 12, 2018 |title=The Taylor Swift effect: Nashville sounds off on singer's political endorsements |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/12/taylor-swift-democrats-midterm-election-celebrity-political-endorsements |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116222447/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/12/taylor-swift-democrats-midterm-election-celebrity-political-endorsements |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Katie |date=October 9, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift's Instagram post spurs spike in US voter registration |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/taylor-swifts-instagram-post-spurs-spike-in-us-voter-registration/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515222444/https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/taylor-swifts-instagram-post-spurs-spike-in-us-voter-registration/ |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |access-date=May 15, 2023 |agency=CNET}}{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Michelle |date=October 17, 2018 |title=Taylor Swift Has a New Political Message for Her 112 Million Instagram Followers |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-political-instagram-early-voting |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515222444/https://www.vogue.com/article/taylor-swift-political-instagram-early-voting |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |access-date=May 15, 2023 |magazine=Vogue}} As per a statistical research by academics Gwendelyn Nisbett and Stephanie Dunn, Swift's narrative and message in the post influenced her followers, beyond the fans' parasocial attachment to her.{{sfn|Nisbett|Schartel Dunn|2021|page=26}} Behavioral scientist Simone Driessen wrote that some media consider Swift's political "coming-out" as a strategy to further her career, whereas others consider it mandatory for pop stars in a political climate "to express where they stand".{{sfn|Driessen|2022|page=1060}}

The function and potential of Swift's fanbase, the Swifties, as a voting bloc has been analyzed by publications.{{Cite web |last=Sherman |first=Carter |date=March 13, 2024 |title=The voting bloc that could decide the US election: Swifties |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/13/taylor-swift-us-election-politics-joe-biden-donald-trump |access-date=March 15, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian}}{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Matt |date=July 24, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: Person of the year and political influencer |url=https://theconversation.com/taylor-swift-person-of-the-year-and-political-influencer-208631 |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=The Conversation |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003050244/https://theconversation.com/taylor-swift-person-of-the-year-and-political-influencer-208631 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=September 15, 2024 |title=One Brings Millions: Taylor Swift's Endorsement Means Literally A Lot For Kamala Harris In Her Run To Oval Office |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nfl/news/one-brings-millions-taylor-swifts-endorsement-means-literally-a-lot-for-kamala-harris-in-her-run-to-oval-office/articleshow/113364349.cms |access-date=November 7, 2024 |newspaper=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916225606/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nfl/news/one-brings-millions-taylor-swifts-endorsement-means-literally-a-lot-for-kamala-harris-in-her-run-to-oval-office/articleshow/113364349.cms |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Moolten |first=Shira |date=September 14, 2024 |title=Could Taylor Swift's Florida concerts help bring Democrats to the polls? |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/09/14/could-taylor-swift-fuel-a-boom-in-democrat-turnout-in-florida/ |access-date=November 7, 2024 |newspaper=Sun Sentinel |archive-date=November 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114155423/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/09/14/could-taylor-swift-fuel-a-boom-in-democrat-turnout-in-florida/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Legrand |first=Robin |date=December 24, 2023 |title=Swifties to the polls? Why eyes are on Taylor ahead of 2024 |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/24/23/swifties-to-the-polls-why-eyes-are-on-taylor-ahead-of-2024 |access-date=November 7, 2024 |publisher=ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs |archive-date=December 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227124039/https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/24/23/swifties-to-the-polls-why-eyes-are-on-taylor-ahead-of-2024 |url-status=live }} After Swift posted on Instagram in September 2023 about Vote.org's National Voter Registration Day, more than 35,000 people registered to vote, a 23 percent increase in total registrations and 115 percent increase among 18-year-olds when compared to the 2022 National Voter Registration Day.{{cite news |last=Kight |first=Stef W. |date=September 21, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift snags 35,000 new registered voters |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/09/21/taylor-swift-registered-voters-2024-election |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921181802/https://www.axios.com/2023/09/21/taylor-swift-registered-voters-2024-election |archive-date=September 21, 2023 |access-date=September 21, 2023 |website=Axios}} Andrea Hailey, chief executive of Vote.org, said the organization's partnership with Swift is helping all Americans "make their voices heard at the ballot box."{{Cite web |last=Weisman |first=Jonathan |title=Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and a MAGA Meltdown |date=January 30, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/us/politics/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump.html |access-date=February 2, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202020428/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/us/politics/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-trump.html |url-status=live }} For the partnership, Swift and Vote.org were awarded a Webby Award for Best Creator or Influencer Collaboration, Features (Social) in 2024.{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/2024-webby-awards-winners-list-1235892208/ |title=Webby Awards Winners List: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Ryan Gosling, Keke Palmer, Shannon Sharpe & Julia Louis-Dreyfus Among Honored |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=April 23, 2024 |access-date=April 24, 2024 |archive-date=May 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521033558/https://deadline.com/2024/04/2024-webby-awards-winners-list-1235892208/ |url-status=live }} Swifties For Kamala is a political advocacy group formed by a host of Swifties in support of Harris' 2024 campaign.{{Cite magazine |last=Seo |first=Rachel |date=August 27, 2024 |title=Carole King to Speak at 'Swifties for Kamala' Kickoff Call |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/carole-king-swifties-for-kamala-call-1236119777/ |access-date=August 27, 2024 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827184521/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/carole-king-swifties-for-kamala-call-1236119777/ |url-status=live }} It collaborated with Voters of Tomorrow, a political advocacy group by Gen-Z that seeks to boost the youth vote, to target college students in swing states.{{Cite web |last1=Renshaw |first1=Jarrett |last2=Timmons |first2=Heather |date=September 14, 2024 |title=Will Taylor Swift's Harris endorsement influence the U.S. election? |website=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/will-taylor-swifts-harris-endorsement-influence-us-election-2024-09-13/}}

Facebook data from 2014 revealed that Swift is one of the artists who formed the "happy median" of musical listening habits of its Democratic and Republican users.{{Cite web |last=Rife |first=Katie |date=October 29, 2014 |title=All that unites America is Taylor Swift and SportsCenter, Facebook study reveals |url=https://www.avclub.com/all-that-unites-america-is-taylor-swift-and-sportscente-1798273505 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017164104/https://www.avclub.com/all-that-unites-america-is-taylor-swift-and-sportscente-1798273505 |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=The A.V. Club}} According to a 2023 survey reported by The Times, 53 percent adult Americans consider themselves fans of Swift, ratings higher than those of Biden and Trump; journalist Ellie Austin explained that though Swift is left-aligned, some rightists still "covet" her, making her a "uniting" demographic fulcrum that can bridge America's political divide. In another survey reported by The New York Sun, Swift was the third most popular choice for the U.S. president, after Trump and Biden.{{Cite news |last=Payne |first=Russell |date=July 5, 2023 |title=RFK Jr., Taylor Swift Viewed More Favorably by Voters Than Trump, Biden, and DeSantis: Poll |url=https://www.nysun.com/article/rfk-jr-taylor-swift-viewed-more-favorably-by-voters-than-trump-biden-and-desantis-poll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017185128/https://www.nysun.com/article/rfk-jr-taylor-swift-viewed-more-favorably-by-voters-than-trump-biden-and-desantis-poll |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |access-date=August 28, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Sun}} She also had the highest favorability rating of all the public figures tested in the NBC News's 2023 nationwide poll, with 40 percent of registered voters saying they have "a positive view of Swift" and a 16 percent holding a negative view.{{Cite news |last=Marquez |first=Alexandra |date=November 20, 2023 |title=How Taylor Swift transcends America's political divides — barely |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/taylor-swift-transcends-americas-political-divides-barely-rcna125908 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224135004/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/taylor-swift-transcends-americas-political-divides-barely-rcna125908 |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |access-date=December 25, 2023 |publisher=NBC News}}

Swift's political sway was further evident in the bipartisan criticism of Ticketmaster; CNN journalist Allison Morrow wrote in an article titled "One Nation, Under Swift" that Swift's fans united the parties in a way "the Founding Fathers failed to anticipate". Brooke Schultz of the Associated Press noticed how the issue turned into a political movement and considered Swift's fans an influential voter demographic.{{Cite news |last=Schultz |first=Brooke |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Taylor Swift ticket trouble could drive political engagement |url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-taylor-swift-cca0dec2b454d564fa52383101725bdc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209070627/https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-taylor-swift-cca0dec2b454d564fa52383101725bdc |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=November 23, 2022 |publisher=Associated Press}} As per Morning Consult, approximately 55% of Swift's U.S. fans are Democratic, 23% Republican, and 23% independent.{{Cite web |last1=Blancaflor |first1=Saleah |last2=Briggs |first2=Ellyn |date=March 14, 2023 |title=The Taylor Swift Fandom Is White, Suburban and Leans Democratic |url=https://morningconsult.com/2023/03/14/taylor-swift-fandom-demographic/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516002955/https://morningconsult.com/2023/03/14/taylor-swift-fandom-demographic/ |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |access-date=May 15, 2023 |agency=Morning Consult}} Politico remarked, "Swift's fans are arguably the most immersive and intense fandom in the U.S., and they are a political force that anyone really shouldn't mess with."{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2024 |title=Q&A MAGA World Is About to Meet Taylor Swift's Fandom. It Won't Go Well. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/01/the-twisted-logic-of-the-taylor-swift-backlash-it-seems-like-political-suicide-00138924 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201161102/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/01/the-twisted-logic-of-the-taylor-swift-backlash-it-seems-like-political-suicide-00138924 |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |access-date=February 2, 2024 |newspaper=Politico}}

In the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, when Harris announced her presidential candidature, Swifties launched "Swifties For Kamala", a social media movement that quickly amassed tens of thousands of followers.{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Makena |title=Meet the Swifties Campaigning for Kamala Harris |url=https://www.wired.com/story/swifties-campaigning-for-kamala-harris/ |access-date=August 1, 2024 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=August 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801003257/https://www.wired.com/story/swifties-campaigning-for-kamala-harris/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |last=Madarang |first=Charisma |date=August 1, 2024 |title=Inside the Swifties Movement to Elect Kamala Harris |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/swifties-for-kamala-harris-2024-election-1235072177/ |access-date=August 1, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=August 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801165219/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/swifties-for-kamala-harris-2024-election-1235072177/ |url-status=live }} Following Swift's Instagram post endorsing Harris and urging her 284 million followers to register to vote, Vote.org recorded 405,999 people visit its site via Swift's Instagram story.{{Cite magazine |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=September 12, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's Harris Endorsement Post Drove More Than 400,000 Visitors to U.S. Voter-Information Site in 24 Hours |url=https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/taylor-swift-harris-endorsement-instagram-post-vote-gov-site-1236142505/ |access-date=September 12, 2024 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912200820/https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/taylor-swift-harris-endorsement-instagram-post-vote-gov-site-1236142505/ |url-status=live }} Former White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah Griffin considered Swift the "only person" who could defeat Trump in an election.{{Cite news |last=St. Martin |first=Emily |date=October 5, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift for president? Ex-Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin says only Swift could defeat Trump |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-10-05/taylor-swift-for-president-ex-trump-staffer-alyssa-farah-griffin-says-only-swift-could-defeat-trump |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005233207/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-10-05/taylor-swift-for-president-ex-trump-staffer-alyssa-farah-griffin-says-only-swift-could-defeat-trump |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |access-date=October 6, 2023 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} Kevin Monnin of The Hill opined that, powered by her cultural significance and large following, Swift "could play a pivotal role for democracy by securing the re-election of President Biden and ending the political career of former President Donald Trump."{{Cite news |last=Monnin |first=Kevin |date=December 2, 2023 |title=Miss Americana: How Taylor Swift could save Joe Biden |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4337492-miss-americana-how-taylor-swift-could-save-joe-biden/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202141704/https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4337492-miss-americana-how-taylor-swift-could-save-joe-biden/ |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |access-date=December 2, 2023 |newspaper=The Hill}} Nathan J. Robinson, writing for Newsweek, said "only Swift can unite the political divide" in the U.S.{{Cite magazine |last=Robinson |first=Nathan |date=December 7, 2023 |title=There's Only One Person Who Can Unite This Nation: Taylor Swift, 2024 Opinion |url=https://www.newsweek.com/theres-only-one-person-who-can-unite-this-nation-taylor-swift-2024-opinion-1850403 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214175200/https://www.newsweek.com/theres-only-one-person-who-can-unite-this-nation-taylor-swift-2024-opinion-1850403 |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=December 15, 2023 |magazine=Newsweek}} A poll conducted for Newsweek reported 18 percent of all voters are "more likely" or "significantly more likely" to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.{{Cite magazine |last=Dazed |date=February 1, 2024 |title=Could Taylor Swift impact the 2024 election? |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/61863/1/taylor-swift-impact-2024-election-us-donald-trump-joe-biden-democrat |access-date=February 5, 2024 |magazine=Dazed |archive-date=February 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205043144/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/61863/1/taylor-swift-impact-2024-election-us-donald-trump-joe-biden-democrat |url-status=live }} Academic Michael A. Cohen claimed "Swift could affect the outcome of the 2024 election."{{Cite news|last=Cohen |first=Michael A. |date=December 25, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift could save Joe Biden in 2024. No, seriously. |url=https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/taylor-swift-save-joe-biden-rcna130344 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226175329/https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/taylor-swift-save-joe-biden-rcna130344 |archive-date=December 26, 2023 |access-date=December 25, 2023 |publisher=MSNBC}} According to Clarke, the combination of Swift's unique bipartisan appeal and her endorsement of Harris will "may yet prove to be pivotal" in the 2024 election as it is "to be decided in a handful of key states, by a few thousand votes". Meredith Conroy of ABC News termed it "The Swift Surge", comparing it to "The Oprah Effect" and "The Colbert Bump". Richard T Longoria of The Guardian opined that Swift's impact on the election is minimal, but could pave way for a Harris win by swaying the decisive "undecided" votes for Democrats in swing states.{{Cite news |last=Longoria |first=Richard T. |date=September 14, 2024 |title=The Taylor Swift effect is small but may just swing it for Kamala Harris |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/14/the-taylor-swift-effect-is-small-but-may-just-swing-it-for-kamala-harris |access-date=October 28, 2024 |newspaper=The Observer |issn=0029-7712}}

= Foreign =

{{multiple image

| perrow = 2

| total_width = 250

| image1 = Justin Trudeau and Benigno Aquino III November 2015 cropped.jpg

| image2 = Official Portrait of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (crop with flag).jpg

| image3 = VP Leni Meeting with Pres Duterte Cropped 2016.jpg

| image4 = Pita Limjaroenrat - 2 (cropped).jpg

| footer = Influential politicians, such as Justin Trudeau in Canada, Rishi Sunak in the U.K., Leni Robredo in the Philippines, and Pita Limjaroenrat in Thailand, have expressed admiration for Swift.

}}

The Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff dubbed Swift a trans-Atlantic soft power.{{Cite news |last=Hinsliff |first=Gaby |date=October 21, 2024 |title=Why can't politics in the UK or US get to grips with Taylor Swift? Because she is a force in her own right |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/21/politics-uk-us-taylor-swift-pop |access-date=October 23, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} In Canada, William Watson of the Financial Post opined that the lawmakers from the Liberal Party of Canada, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will attempt to "nationalize" the distribution of the concert tour tickets in an attempt to win over Swifties for the upcoming 45th Canadian federal election.{{Cite web |last=Watson |first=William |date=August 10, 2023 |title=William Watson: How long before the Liberals nationalize Taylor Swift ticket distribution? |url=https://financialpost.com/opinion/liberals-nationalize-taylor-swift-ticket-distribution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810100843/https://financialpost.com/opinion/liberals-nationalize-taylor-swift-ticket-distribution |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=Financial Post}} Members of the Canadian Parliament filed a grievance with the Speaker of the House of Commons, when the Eras Tour was initially poised to skip Canada.{{Cite news |date=June 21, 2023 |title=MP files 'official grievance' with Speaker over Taylor Swift snubbing Canada on tour |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/06/21/mp-files-official-grievance-with-speaker-over-taylor-swift-snubbing-canada-on-tour.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622002829/https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/06/21/mp-files-official-grievance-with-speaker-over-taylor-swift-snubbing-canada-on-tour.html |archive-date=June 22, 2023 |access-date=June 22, 2023 |newspaper=Toronto Star}}

Various politicians, such as Gabriel Boric, President of Chile;{{Cite news |last=Miranda |first=Natalia A. Ramos |date=January 25, 2022 |title=Chile's President-elect Boric sends Taylor Swift 'hugs' over songwriting tiff, goes viral |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/chiles-president-elect-boric-sends-taylor-swift-hugs-over-song-writing-tiff-goes-2022-01-25/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515233411/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/chiles-president-elect-boric-sends-taylor-swift-hugs-over-song-writing-tiff-goes-2022-01-25/ |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |publisher=Reuters}} Pita Limjaroenrat, member of the House of Representatives of Thailand;{{Cite news |date=July 6, 2023 |title=Pita invites Taylor Swift to Thailand |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2606980/pita-invites-taylor-swift-to-thailand |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126002416/https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2606980/pita-invites-taylor-swift-to-thailand |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |access-date=July 6, 2023 |newspaper=Bangkok Post}} and Leni Robredo, former Vice President of the Philippines have appealed to Swifties during their election campaigns or their tenures in office.{{Cite magazine |last=Singh |first=Surej |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Leni Robredo's fans are campaigning for a meeting with Taylor Swift |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/leni-robredos-fans-are-campaigning-for-a-meeting-with-taylor-swift-3227013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530234308/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/leni-robredos-fans-are-campaigning-for-a-meeting-with-taylor-swift-3227013 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |magazine=NME}} Multiple media outlets have described Boric as a full-fledged Swiftie; he described himself as a Swiftie before the 2021 Chilean general election, which he won.{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Chile's new president (Taylor's version): Gabriel Boric is a Swiftie |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-12-21/gabriel-boric-chile-president-elect-taylor-swift |access-date=February 3, 2024 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222195932/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-12-21/gabriel-boric-chile-president-elect-taylor-swift |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=January 25, 2022 |title=Chile's New President Really, Really Loves Taylor Swift |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/taylor-swift-gabriel-boric-damon-albarn |access-date=February 3, 2024 |magazine=Teen Vogue |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203095237/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/taylor-swift-gabriel-boric-damon-albarn |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=June 20, 2023 |title=Chilean President Gabriel Boric Wants Taylor Swift to Perform in Chile |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chilean-president-gabriel-boric-wants-195016961.html |access-date=February 3, 2024 |publisher=Yahoo! Entertainment |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203095237/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chilean-president-gabriel-boric-wants-195016961.html |url-status=live }} Swifties formed a significant portion of Robredo's supporters during her 2022 Philippine presidential election campaign.{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Surej |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Leni Robredo's fans are campaigning for a meeting with Taylor Swift |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/leni-robredos-fans-are-campaigning-for-a-meeting-with-taylor-swift-3227013 |access-date=February 3, 2024 |magazine=NME |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530234308/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/leni-robredos-fans-are-campaigning-for-a-meeting-with-taylor-swift-3227013 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Wee |first=Sui-lee |date=May 2, 2022 |title=In the Philippines, young people aim to upend an election |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/02/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/philippines-election-young-voters/ |access-date=February 3, 2024 |newspaper=The Japan Times |archive-date=February 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203095238/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/02/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/philippines-election-young-voters/ |url-status=live }} A number of Australian government officials, including the Deputy Premier of Queensland, Steven Miles; Member of Parliament from Western Australia and the Prime Minister's aide, Patrick Gorman; and the South Australian minister for infrastructure and transport, Tom Koutsantonis, were openly disappointed with Swift not touring their states.{{Cite magazine |last=Robinson |first=Ellie |title=Politicians Attack Taylor Swift Over 'Eras' Tour City Snubs |url=https://themusic.com.au/news/politicians-attack-taylor-swift-over-eras-tour-city-snubs/v-5909LV1Nc/21-06-23 |access-date=February 4, 2024 |magazine=The Music |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621085342/https://themusic.com.au/news/politicians-attack-taylor-swift-over-eras-tour-city-snubs/v-5909LV1Nc/21-06-23 |url-status=live }}

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| quote = "She was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. I know I will be asked what is my favourite song and I am not going to pretend I have got every album and know every song, although Change is the one for obvious reasons. What I learned last night is my daughter knows every album, every song, and every word of every song, and she wasn't alone among the teenage girls who were there. It was utterly brilliant."

| source = Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024, on Swift

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In the United Kingdom, three Prime Ministers—Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer—have expressed admiration for Swift. Truss met Swift at a BAFTA dinner, saying on a 2024 interview that she "elbowed my way across the room" to demand a selfie with Swift: "I introduced myself as, 'I'm the Chief Secretary to The Treasurer, Taylor. Can I have a selfie?'"{{Cite web |last=Peppin |first=Hayley |date=March 9, 2020 |title=A British politician quoted Taylor Swift's 'The Man' during an International Women's Day debate in Parliament |url=https://www.insider.com/british-politician-quotes-taylor-swift-on-international-womens-day-2020-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327131217/https://www.insider.com/british-politician-quotes-taylor-swift-on-international-womens-day-2020-3 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |access-date=April 1, 2020 |publisher=Insider Inc.}} In 2020, Truss quoted Swift's song "The Man" at the House of Commons in her International Women's Day speech at the House of Commons, saying "Women are left running as fast as they can, wondering if they would get there quicker if they were a man."{{Cite web |last=Peppin |first=Hayley |date=February 11, 2019 |title=A British politician quoted Taylor Swift's 'The Man' during an International Women's Day debate in Parliament |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/british-politician-quotes-taylor-swift-on-international-womens-day-2020-3 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706210003/https://www.businessinsider.com/british-politician-quotes-taylor-swift-on-international-womens-day-2020-3 |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=April 17, 2024 |title=The Weird Connection Between Liz Truss and Taylor Swift You May Have Missed |url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/liz-truss-taylor-swift/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |magazine=Grazia |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706204939/https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/liz-truss-taylor-swift/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Just all the times Liz Truss has outed herself as the UK's biggest Taylor Swift fan |url=https://thetab.com/uk/2022/09/06/all-the-times-liz-truss-was-a-huge-taylor-swift-fan-272334 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=The Tab |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706210003/https://thetab.com/uk/2022/09/06/all-the-times-liz-truss-was-a-huge-taylor-swift-fan-272334 |url-status=live }} Sunak also declared himself a fan of Swift's music; during a debate with Truss he stated that "I agree with Liz on far more than we disagree on — and I don't just mean our shared love for Whitney Houston and Taylor Swift."{{Cite web |last=Macnaughton |first=Ollie |date=August 16, 2023 |title=Rishi Sunak at Taylor Swift? It's not surprising – the PM has Swiftie credentials |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/rishi-sunak-at-taylor-swift-its-not-surprising-the-pm-has-swiftie-credentials |access-date=July 6, 2024 |magazine=Tatler |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706204939/https://www.tatler.com/article/rishi-sunak-at-taylor-swift-its-not-surprising-the-pm-has-swiftie-credentials |url-status=live }} Downing Street officials said that Sunak attended a Swift concert and a cycling class devoted to her music during a holiday in the US.{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=David |date=August 14, 2023 |title=Sunak'z a Swiftie, No 10 indicates, after reports he went to Taylor Swift gig |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-prime-minister-california-taylor-swift-liz-truss-b1100553.html |access-date=July 6, 2024 |newspaper=Evening Standard |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706204939/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-prime-minister-california-taylor-swift-liz-truss-b1100553.html |url-status=live }} Starmer attended one of Swift's Eras Tour shows in London with his wife Victoria during the 2024 general election, writing "'Swift' campaign pitstop."{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Faye |title=Keir Starmer attends Taylor Swift concert – and fans are quick to make puns |url=https://news.sky.com/story/keir-starmer-makes-campaign-pitstop-at-taylor-swift-eras-concert-with-stars-spotted-in-crowd-13157036 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705113820/https://news.sky.com/story/keir-starmer-makes-campaign-pitstop-at-taylor-swift-eras-concert-with-stars-spotted-in-crowd-13157036 |archive-date=July 5, 2024 |access-date=July 3, 2024 |work=Sky News}}{{Cite web |title=Photo of Keir Starmer and his wife at Taylor Swift concert was 'standout moment' for Labour - but was it accidental or choreographed? |url=https://news.sky.com/story/photo-of-keir-starmer-and-his-wife-at-taylor-swift-concert-was-standout-moment-for-labour-but-was-it-accidental-or-choreographed-13158073 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=Sky News |archive-date=July 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705225408/https://news.sky.com/story/photo-of-keir-starmer-and-his-wife-at-taylor-swift-concert-was-standout-moment-for-labour-but-was-it-accidental-or-choreographed-13158073 |url-status=live }} He described Swift as "absolutely fantastic" and joked that his favorite song by Swift is "Change", which shares the name of his party's manifesto.{{Cite news |last=Lynch |first=David |date=June 22, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift 'absolutely fantastic', Sir Keir Starmer says after Wembley concert |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-taylor-swift-victoria-wembley-london-b1166139.html |access-date=July 6, 2024 |newspaper=Evening Standard |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706204939/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-taylor-swift-victoria-wembley-london-b1166139.html |url-status=live }}

During the 2024 Labour Party freebies controversy, it was reported that several cabinet members including Starmer, Darren Jones, Wes Streeting and Bridget Phillipson had accepted Swift concert tickets. Streeting joked that he had been "outed as a Swiftie", while Phillipson said it was "hard to say no" to Swift concert tickets.{{cite web |title=Sir Keir Starmer declares gifts and freebies totalling more than £100,000 - the highest of any MP |url=https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-declares-gifts-and-freebies-totalling-more-than-163100000-the-highest-of-any-mp-13217287 |access-date=18 September 2024 |website=Sky News |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926012719/https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-declares-gifts-and-freebies-totalling-more-than-163100000-the-highest-of-any-mp-13217287 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author-last= |author-first= |date=18 September 2024 |title=UK PM Starmer accepted more gifts than any other member of parliament, Sky News reports |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-starmer-accepted-more-gifts-than-any-other-member-parliament-sky-news-2024-09-18/ |access-date=19 September 2024 |work=Reuters}}{{cite web |author-last=Schofield |author-first=Kevin |date=18 September 2024 |title='I've Been Outed As A Swiftie': Wes Streeting Laughs Off Row Over Labour Freebies |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ive-been-outed-as-a-swiftie-wes-streeting-laughs-off-row-over-labour-freebies_uk_66eac750e4b0beccbbaf8071 |access-date=21 September 2024 |work=HuffPost |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003133031/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ive-been-outed-as-a-swiftie-wes-streeting-laughs-off-row-over-labour-freebies_uk_66eac750e4b0beccbbaf8071 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Education Secretary defends accepting Taylor Swift tickets |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/education-secretary-defends-accepting-taylor-124757355.html |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=Yahoo News |archive-date=October 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009183141/https://uk.news.yahoo.com/education-secretary-defends-accepting-taylor-124757355.html |url-status=live }} In October 2024, it was reported that the London Metropolitan Police's Special Escort Group—a top-level security usually provided for members of the British royal family and heads of state—would be provided for Swift and crew for the remainder of the London shows. A political scandal soon developed in the United Kingdom as the politicians of opposition Conservative Party accused the ruling Labour Party of receiving free tickets to the Eras Tour in exchange of the security grant. It was alleged that Labour politicians, ranging from Starmer to London mayor Sadiq Khan, had received around £20,000 in free tickets, after Swift's demand for the security was initially denied, with the politicians subsequently pressuring the police to give in.{{Cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Abigail |date=October 11, 2024 |title=How Labour's love affair with Taylor Swift backfired |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/11/labour-party-taylor-swift-cooper-starmer-security-seg-met/ |access-date=October 15, 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}} The prime minister's office denied that the free tickets were connected to security demands, however admitted that Starmer meeting Swift at the concert could have created a perception of a conflict of interest.{{Cite web |title=Politics latest: Minister welcomes inflation drop - as Hunt tweets sarcastic response |url=https://news.sky.com/story/politics-latest-starmer-labour-conference-12593360 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |publisher=Sky News}} Former prime minister Boris Johnson said Swift has made the United Kingdom "look like a banana republic"; Rebecca Reid of i said "the Eras tour has been dragged into a tangential political row" and criticized Johnson of not caring about women's safety; Reid opined that Swift deserves the police convoy in light of the Vienna threat and the Southport stabbing incident.{{Cite news |last=Reid |first=Rebecca |date=October 14, 2024 |title=What Boris Johnson doesn't understand about Taylor Swift |url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/taylor-swift-became-a-pawn-in-uk-politics-3321931?srsltid=AfmBOoqRMAtlDeaYJvO1J7YFiVbLcxrcCVVMuO7uN1uZsqosJSb9AiUr |access-date=October 17, 2024 |newspaper=i}}

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson and Mexican Supreme Court justice Arturo Zaldivar also described themselves as Swifties.{{Cite news |last=Navarro |first=Andrea |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Mexico Top Court Justice Explains Why He's a Hard-Core Swiftie |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-21/mexico-top-court-justice-defends-his-taylor-swift-fandom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713134445/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-21/mexico-top-court-justice-defends-his-taylor-swift-fandom |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |access-date=June 21, 2023 |agency=Bloomberg News}}{{Cite web |author=A. O. L. Staff |date=May 18, 2024 |title=Sweden's Prime Minister Says It's 'No Secret' He's a Swiftie as He Extends 'Warm Welcome' to Her Eras Tour |url=https://www.aol.com/sweden-prime-minister-says-no-180524826.html |access-date=August 3, 2024 |publisher=AOL |archive-date=August 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803145113/https://www.aol.com/sweden-prime-minister-says-no-180524826.html |url-status=live }} International organizations such as the European Union (E.U.) have acknowledged her political influence; the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, requested Swift to help reverse the "historically low" voter turnout in Europe in the upcoming 2024 European Parliament election.{{Cite magazine |last=Roeloffs |first=Mary Whitfill |date=January 10, 2024 |title=EU Wants Taylor Swift's Help Mobilizing Young Voters For European Parliament Elections |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/01/10/eu-wants-taylor-swifts-help-mobilizing-young-voters-for-european-parliament-elections/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111022027/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/01/10/eu-wants-taylor-swifts-help-mobilizing-young-voters-for-european-parliament-elections/ |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |magazine=Forbes}} Emmanuel Macron, the President of France since 2017, stated Swift "is one of the few artists who are able to gather so many people" and dubbed her an "impressive" phenomenon.{{Cite news |date=October 9, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift receives immense praises from French PM Macron |url=https://jang.com.pk/en/22516-taylor-swift-receives-immense-praises-from-french-pm-macron-news |access-date=October 10, 2024 |newspaper=Daily Jang}}

Bloomberg News reported that, in China (People's Republic of China), the themes celebrated in Swift's music and other outputs "stand in stark contrast to President Xi Jinping's increasingly conservative vision for women, providing a rare outlet for young women rejecting ever-tighter social control and the Chinese Communist Party's rigid expectations."{{Cite news |date=February 10, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift Wows Chinese Women Tired of Xi's Conservative Era |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-10/taylor-swift-wows-chinese-women-tired-of-xi-s-conservative-era |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240210035842/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-10/taylor-swift-wows-chinese-women-tired-of-xi-s-conservative-era |archive-date=February 10, 2024 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |agency=Bloomberg News}} The Washington Post{{'s}} Meaghan Tobin and Pei-Lin Wu observed that, despite the strict censorship practices in China, "Swift has managed to steer clear of scrutiny ... In fact, Chinese state media seems to have nothing but praise for [her]."{{Cite news |last1=Tobin |first1=Meaghan |last2=Wu |first2=Pei-Lin |date=December 29, 2023 |title=Chinese Swifties are ready to shake it off at the Eras movie |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/30/taylor-swift-china-eras-tour/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230120540/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/30/taylor-swift-china-eras-tour/ |archive-date=December 30, 2023 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}} Thomas Friedman of The New York Times said Swift could a key element in improving the China–United States relations.{{Cite news |first=Thomas L. |last=Friedman |date=December 18, 2024 |title=How Elon Musk and Taylor Swift Can Resolve U.S.-China Relations |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/opinion/us-china-musk-swift-tariffs-manufacturing.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218004005/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/opinion/us-china-musk-swift-tariffs-manufacturing.html |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |access-date=December 18, 2024 |url-status=live }} In its counterpart Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, Swift was a divisive topic in the campaigns preceding the 2024 Taiwanese presidential and legislative body elections. Politician Jaw Shaw-kong, a prominent member of the opposition party Kuomintang, stated in a televised debate that he invited Swift to hold a concert at the Taipei Dome and that she initially agreed to perform but soon declined, citing "geopolitical risks" of the tense bilateral relations between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. The Taiwanese Ministry of Culture neither denied or confirmed Jaw's claims but said several foreign artists have performed in Taiwan. Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai described Jaw's claim about Swift as an attempt to manipulate voters.{{Cite news |date=January 4, 2024 |title=Why Taylor Swift is caught up in Taiwan's presidential election |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-taiwan-china-elections-b2473084.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108233752/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-taiwan-china-elections-b2473084.html |archive-date=January 8, 2024 |access-date=January 9, 2024 |newspaper=The Independent}}{{Cite web |date=January 2, 2024 |title=Culture Ministry takes issue with Jaw's Taylor Swift claim |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202401020005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109051320/https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202401020005 |archive-date=January 9, 2024 |access-date=January 9, 2024 |agency=Central News Agency}}{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Nicola |date=January 3, 2024 |title=Taiwan's election is going to the wire and the divisive issue is ... Taylor Swift |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/03/taylor-swift-row-dominates-taiwan-politics-before-election/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109051320/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/03/taylor-swift-row-dominates-taiwan-politics-before-election/ |archive-date=January 9, 2024 |access-date=January 9, 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}}

During the 2023 Guatemalan general election, presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo referred to the 2009 Kanye West–Taylor Swift incident in a TikTok video, revealing himself to be a Swiftie. The video quickly went viral among young voters, which benefitted his presidential campaign during the first round of polling, where he qualified to participate in the second round and subsequently became the president-elect of Guatemala.{{cite news |title= How TikTokers and Swifties became political power brokers in Guatemala |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/30/how-tiktokers-swifties-became-political-power-brokers-guatemala/ |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= December 1, 2023 |access-date= August 9, 2024 |archive-date= December 1, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231201194328/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/30/how-tiktokers-swifties-became-political-power-brokers-guatemala/ |url-status= live }}

Advocacy

: Nota bene: This section is non-exhaustive and includes illustrative examples only

On March 23, 2018, Swift called for gun control, donating to victims and to March For Our Lives.
On June 1, 2019, she created a Change.org petition urging senators to vote for the House-passed Equality Act. As of April 2020, the petition had over 704,000 signatures, including those from Democratic senators like Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Ed Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine, and Cory Booker. Swift wrote a letter to Republican Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander, asking him his support:{{Cite news |last=Díaz |first=Alexa |date=August 27, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift called out the White House at the VMAs. Here's her Equality Act petition, explained |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-27/taylor-swift-white-house-equality-act |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412115329/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-27/taylor-swift-white-house-equality-act |archive-date=April 12, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} "For American citizens to be denied jobs or housing based on who they love or how they identify is un-American and cruel".{{Cite news |last=Mitra |first=Mallika |date=June 25, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift's new song 'You need to calm down' drives donations to LGBTQ advocacy group, but not without critics |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/25/taylor-swifts-new-song-drives-donations-to-this-lgbtq-advocacy-group.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505195952/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/25/taylor-swifts-new-song-drives-donations-to-this-lgbtq-advocacy-group.html |archive-date=May 5, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |agency=CNBC}}
Swift performed at Stonewall Inn during the WorldPride NYC 2019.{{cite magazine |last=Lynch |first=Joe |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift Wishes NYC's Stonewall Inn 'Happy Pride' at Surprise Set |url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/taylor-swift-stonewall-inn-pride-surprise-performance-new-york-8516081/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214042011/https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/taylor-swift-stonewall-inn-pride-surprise-performance-new-york-8516081/amp/ |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |magazine=Billboard}}File:Taylor_Swift_(35428396431).jpg]]
After "You Need to Calm Down" increased donations to GLAAD, Anthony Ramos, an executive of the organization, stated Swift "is one of the world's biggest pop stars; the fact that she continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community and the Equality Act is a true sign of being an ally."{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Spencer |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Fans Celebrate on Twitter After Taylor Swift Shouts Out GLAAD and LGBTQ People in New Pride-Themed Anthem 'You Need to Calm Down' |url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/fans-celebrate-twitter-after-taylor-swift-shouts-out-glaad-and-lgbtq-people-new-pride-themed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412133535/https://www.glaad.org/blog/fans-celebrate-twitter-after-taylor-swift-shouts-out-glaad-and-lgbtq-people-new-pride-themed |archive-date=April 12, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |agency=GLAAD}} CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, Swift "continues to use her platform to speak out against discrimination and create a world where everyone can live the life they love. ... In today's divisive political and cultural climate, we need more allies like Taylor."
On August 26, 2019, at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, after winning Video of the Year for "You Need to Calm Down", Swift urged the audience in her speech to sign the petition and said the White House has not responded despite having "five times the amount of signatures that it would need to warrant a response".{{Cite web |last=Welsh |first=Caitlin |date=August 27, 2019 |title=Taylor Swift called out Trump for ignoring her Equality Act petition at the VMAs |url=https://mashable.com/article/taylor-swift-vmas-equality-act-petition-speech/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412121259/https://mashable.com/article/taylor-swift-vmas-equality-act-petition-speech/ |archive-date=April 12, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |website=Mashable}} The next day, then-White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere issued a statement criticizing the Equality Act.{{Cite magazine |date=August 27, 2019 |title=White House Responds to Taylor Swift's Equality Act Petition After VMAs |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8528552/taylor-swifts-equality-act-petition-white-house-response |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412122046/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8528552/taylor-swifts-equality-act-petition-white-house-response |archive-date=April 12, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |magazine=Billboard|first=Ashley|last=Iasimone }}
On May 29, 2020, Swift criticized Trump's "provocative" tweets regarding the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and after the wide George Floyd protests, she donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Black Lives Matter movement,{{cite magazine |last=Bailey |first=Alyssa |date=June 9, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Tweeted About the Black Lives Matter Movement and Urged People to Vote |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a32815585/taylor-swift-black-lives-matter-voting-tweets/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525051127/https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a32815585/taylor-swift-black-lives-matter-voting-tweets/ |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |access-date=July 27, 2020 |magazine=Elle}} voiced for removing the Confederate monuments in Tennessee,{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=June 12, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift Calls for Removal of Monuments That 'Celebrate Racist Historical Figures' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tennessee-monuments-racist-historical-figures-removal-1014584/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019170337/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-tennessee-monuments-racist-historical-figures-removal-1014584/ |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |access-date=August 12, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} and called for Juneteenth to become a national holiday.{{cite news |last=France |first=Lisa Respers |date=June 19, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift got educated on Juneteenth and wants you to be, too |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/entertainment/taylor-swift-juneteenth/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525020229/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/entertainment/taylor-swift-juneteenth/index.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |access-date=July 27, 2020 |agency=CNN}} Swift's tweet criticizing Trump became her most-liked tweet, garnering over two million likes.{{Cite magazine |last=Aniftos |first=Rania |date=May 30, 2020 |title=Taylor Swift's Donald Trump Post Becomes Her Most Liked Tweet Ever |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-donald-trump-most-liked-tweet-9393738/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126002307/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-donald-trump-most-liked-tweet-9393738/ |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}} In the Forbes article "Taylor Swift And The Tweet That Could Help Take Down A President", Cohen said Swift's political voice "could have enormous political consequences" as surveys indicate white women and young first-time voters—Trump's weakest demographics—both forming significant portions of Swift's U.S. fanbase, and "will therefore be key to the outcome of the 2020 election."{{Cite magazine |last=Cohen |first=Seth |title=Taylor Swift And The Tweet That Could Help Take Down A President |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/05/30/taylor-swift-and-the-tweet-that-could-help-take-down-a-president/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213040602/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/05/30/taylor-swift-and-the-tweet-that-could-help-take-down-a-president/ |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |magazine=Forbes}}

Legislative action

Swift has inspired a number of bills, such as:{{Cite magazine |last=Knopper |first=Steve |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Hate Ticketmaster? Love Taylor Swift? Politicians Are Backing New Bills to Get Your Vote |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-politics-new-bills-swifties-votes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616203615/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-politics-new-bills-swifties-votes/ |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |magazine=Billboard}}{{Cite news |last1=Salcedo |first1=Andrea |last2=Mark |first2=Julian |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Angry Taylor Swift fans push lawmakers to take on Ticketmaster |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/11/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-ticket-meltdown-bills/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809135742/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/11/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-ticket-meltdown-bills/ |archive-date=August 9, 2023 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}

In March 2015, impelled by Swift's purchase of the Rhode Island estate High Watch, then-state governor Gina Raimondo proposed a luxury tax on second homes worth over $1 million in the state, referred to as the "Taylor Swift tax". It was withdrawn after wide criticism.{{Cite web |last=Tremaine |first=Julie |date=July 28, 2020 |title=A Brief History of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island Feud |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-rhode-island-feud-last-great-american-dynasty.html |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Vulture |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411022011/https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/taylor-swift-rhode-island-feud-last-great-american-dynasty.html |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |date=March 18, 2015 |title='Taylor Swift Tax' Defended by Rhode Island Governor |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6502525/taylor-swift-tax-rhode-island-governor |access-date=December 7, 2020 |magazine=Billboard |via=Associated Press |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031155744/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6502525/taylor-swift-tax-rhode-island-governor |url-status=live }}
On May 19, 2023, members of the Massachusetts General Court introduced the bipartisan "Taylor Swift Bill" to require ticketing companies disclose full ticket costs upfront and outlaw dynamic pricing.{{Cite web |last=Rumpf-Whitten |first=Sarah |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Massachusetts lawmakers introduce 'Taylor Swift Bill' to require transparent ticket pricing following debacle |url=https://www.fox7austin.com/news/massachusetts-taylor-swift-bill-transparent-ticket-pricing.amp |access-date=May 19, 2023 |agency=KTBC |archive-date=January 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116175151/https://www.fox7austin.com/news/massachusetts-taylor-swift-bill-transparent-ticket-pricing.amp |url-status=live }} Similar bills were introduced in the state legislatures of Minnesota and California.{{Cite magazine |last=Knopper |first=Steve |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Hate Ticketmaster? Love Taylor Swift? Politicians Are Backing New Bills to Get Your Vote |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-politics-new-bills-swifties-votes/ |access-date=June 17, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616203615/https://www.billboard.com/lists/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-politics-new-bills-swifties-votes/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last1=Salcedo |first1=Andrea |last2=Mark |first2=Julian |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Angry Taylor Swift fans push lawmakers to take on Ticketmaster |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/11/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-ticket-meltdown-bills/ |access-date=June 17, 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809135742/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/11/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-ticket-meltdown-bills/ |url-status=live }}
On May 22, 2023, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed the "Save Our Swifties" bill into law, banning the use of bots to bulk-purchase tickets.{{Cite news |last=Garcia |first=Ariana |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Greg Abbott signs 'Save our Swifties' law to ban ticket-sale bots |url=https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-save-our-swifties-ticket-bill-18113022.php |access-date=May 23, 2023 |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523170655/https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-save-our-swifties-ticket-bill-18113022.php |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Carver |first=Jayme Lozano |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Texas lawmakers ban bots that buy concert tickets after Taylor Swift Eras tour glitch |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/23/texas-concert-bot-law-taylor-swift/ |access-date=May 23, 2023 |website=The Texas Tribune |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524094529/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/23/texas-concert-bot-law-taylor-swift/ |url-status=live }} Similar bills were launched in New York and Washington.
In June 2023, U.S. Congressmen Pascrell and Frank Pallone drafted the BOSS and SWIFT (Better Oversight of Stub Sales and Strengthening Well Informed and Fair Transactions for Audiences of Concert Ticketing) Act in the House of Representatives, mandating an overhaul of ticket sale and resale platforms.
In June 2023, an anti-scalping "Taylor Swift Bill" was proposed to the National Congress of Brazil.{{Cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Roseann |last2=Côrtes |first2=Gustavo |date=June 20, 2023 |title=Deputada propõe 'Lei Taylor Swift' em resposta à ação de cambistas |trans-title=Congresswoman proposes 'Taylor Swift Bill' in response to scalper action |url=https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/coluna-do-estadao/deputada-propoe-lei-taylor-swift-em-resposta-a-acao-de-cambistas/ |access-date=June 20, 2023 |newspaper=O Estado de S. Paulo |language=pt-br |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621073455/https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/coluna-do-estadao/deputada-propoe-lei-taylor-swift-em-resposta-a-acao-de-cambistas/ |url-status=live }}
In November 2023, Brazilian congresswoman Erika Hilton, who represents the state of São Paulo in the Chamber of Deputies, introduced a bill to make free water mandatory at concerts and penalize companies that prohibit water bottles in venues, following the death of a concert attendee at the Eras Tour due to dehydration.{{Cite news |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Taylor Swift: deputada Erika Hilton pediu a Ministério Público para investigar venda de ingressos |trans-title=Taylor Swift: congresswoman Erika Hilton asked the Public Ministry to investigate ticket sales |url=https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/defesa-do-consumidor/noticia/2023/06/taylor-swift-deputada-erika-hilton-pediu-a-ministerio-publico-para-investigar-venda-de-ingressos.ghtml |access-date=November 18, 2023 |newspaper=O Globo |language=pt-br |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118204545/https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/defesa-do-consumidor/noticia/2023/06/taylor-swift-deputada-erika-hilton-pediu-a-ministerio-publico-para-investigar-venda-de-ingressos.ghtml |url-status=live }} Subsequently, around 100 municipal, state and federal legislatures in Brazil, including the state of Rio de Janeiro and the federal district, drafted or passed similar bills.{{Cite news |date=March 23, 2024 |title=The 'Taylor Swift effect' aims to provide water during Brazil's life-threatening heat waves |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/taylor-swift-effect-aims-provide-water-brazils-life-threatening-heat-w-rcna144781 |access-date=March 25, 2024 |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=March 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324165114/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/taylor-swift-effect-aims-provide-water-brazils-life-threatening-heat-w-rcna144781 |url-status=live }}
In January 2024, U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Dick Durbin, Lindsey Graham, and Josh Hawley introduced the DEFIANCE (Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edit) Act to criminalize "digital forgeries" that depict an identifiable person without their consent, after AI-generated deepfake pornographic images portraying Swift were posted to and spread on social media.{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=January 31, 2024 |title=Lawmakers propose anti-nonconsensual AI porn bill after Taylor Swift controversy |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24056385/congress-defiance-act-proposed-ban-nonconsensual-ai-porn |access-date=January 31, 2024 |website=The Verge |archive-date=January 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131024639/https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24056385/congress-defiance-act-proposed-ban-nonconsensual-ai-porn |url-status=live }}
In February 2024, the EU drafted a bill criminalizing the sharing of "nude deepfakes" and revenge porn by mid-2027. Věra Jourová, a European Commission vice president, opined, "The latest disgusting way of humiliating women is by sharing intimate images generated by AI in a couple of minutes by anybody. Such pictures can do huge harm, not only to popstars but to every woman who would have to prove at work or at home that it was a deepfake."{{Cite news |last=Goujard |first=Clothild |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift deepfakes nudge EU to get real about AI |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-eye-fix-taylor-swift-nude-deepfake/ |access-date=February 7, 2024 |newspaper=Politico |archive-date=February 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207013737/https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-eye-fix-taylor-swift-nude-deepfake/ |url-status=live }}
In May 2024, Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed a so-called "Taylor Swift bill" into law, which requires ticket sellers to disclose all fees upfront and prohibits the resale of more than one copy of a ticket.{{cite news |title='Taylor Swift bill' signed by Minnesota governor to protect ticket buyers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/08/taylor-swift-bill-minnesota |date=May 8, 2024 |access-date=May 15, 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |agency=Associated Press}}

Notes

References

= Cited literature =

{{Cite journal |last=Driessen |first=Simone |date=March 22, 2022 |title=Campaign Problems: How Fans React to Taylor Swift's Controversial Political Awakening |journal=American Behavioral Scientist |volume=66 |issue=8 |page=1060 |doi=10.1177/00027642211042295 |s2cid=247642883 |issn=0002-7642 |doi-access=free }}
{{Cite journal |last1=Nisbett |first1=Gwendelyn |last2=Schartel Dunn |first2=Stephanie |date=January 1, 2021 |title=Reputation matters: parasocial attachment, narrative engagement, and the 2018 Taylor Swift political endorsement |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15456870.2019.1704758 |journal=Atlantic Journal of Communication |volume=29 |issue=1 |page=26 |doi=10.1080/15456870.2019.1704758 |s2cid=213469284 |issn=1545-6870 |access-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611080814/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15456870.2019.1704758 |url-status=live }}
{{Cite journal |last=Prins |first=Annelot |date=January 2, 2020 |title=From awkward teen girl to aryan goddess meme: Taylor Swift and the hijacking of star texts |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2020.1704431 |journal=Celebrity Studies |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=144–148 |doi=10.1080/19392397.2020.1704431 |s2cid=213693767 |issn=1939-2397 |access-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229151220/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19392397.2020.1704431 |url-status=live }}

Category:21st century in American politics

Category:Internet activism

Swift, Taylor

Category:Taylor Swift