As Taylor Swift continues to rise to even higher levels of superstardom, Republicans are terrified that it could be all over for them if the pop star publicly endorses President Joe Biden.
A recent New York Times article reported that Biden aides see Swift as “the endorsement of their wildest dreams,” and her massive influence on elections has already been established. Last year, 35,000 people registered to vote in response to an Instagram post from Swift encouraging them to do so.
Swift endorsed Biden in 2020, so it’s well within the realm of possibility that she’ll do it again. The prospect has led some Republicans to literally beg her not to get involved.
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Speaking on Fox News, Jeanine Piro warned Swift that she’d alienate fans if she made any sort of political stance. “So don’t get involved, don’t get involved in politics! We don’t want to see you there!” Piro said.
Judge Jeanine Pirro on Taylor Swift: “So don’t get involved, don’t get involved in politics! We don’t want to see you there!” pic.twitter.com/oXlbTLesiq
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 29, 2024
In another segment on Fox, guest Charly Arnolt declared, “We have had enough of Taylor Swift for now,” before telling viewers, “Please don’t believe everything Taylor Swift says. We’re all begging you.”
Arnolt also encouraged viewers to root against the Kansas City Chiefs (and Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce) in the upcoming Super Bowl in fear that a victory would continue to enhance the couple’s power and influence. She referred to Kelce as “Mr. Pfizer,” apparently angry about the NFL star’s participation in COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy even went so far as to suggest that the Super Bowl will be rigged in favor of a Chiefs victory to set up a Biden endorsement from Swift and Kelce.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” he wrote on X. “And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.”
Other far-right commentators seemed to agree.
The Times speculated that fundraising appeals from Swift could bring in millions of dollars for Biden. It added that Swift has become such a big part of the conversation that a recent job posting for a social media role on the campaign urged applicants to avoid talking about how they’d utilize Swift, as there were too many ideas already circulating within the campaign.
This is also not the first time Fox pundits have shown their fear of Swift’s influence in the election.
Fox News’s Jesse Watters – who took Tucker Carlson’s top primetime slot after he was forced from the network – has declared her a Pentagon psyop. A “psyop” refers to military actions used to control people’s beliefs and perceptions and is often a feature of right-wing conspiracy theories.