Taylor Swift officially endorses Kamala Harris

A few weeks ago, one of the two current presidential candidates, Donald Trump, boasted (falsely) of winning a coveted endorsement from global superstar Taylor Swift. He even posted clearly AI-generated photos of Swift draped in clothing meant to show her support.

But mere moments after tonight’s presidential debate ended, Swift, in fact, endorsed the other candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Talk about an encore.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Rampant speculation has trailed the beloved singer-songwriter all year regarding whether she would endorse a candidate in this election, and when it might happen. Indeed, in January, a bizarre conspiracy theory circulating among right-wing media suggested that Swift’s high-profile relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce was an elaborate government operation that would conclude with the artist endorsing then-candidate Joe Biden at the Super Bowl.

It’s easy to see why Swift’s endorsement would be such a boon to either candidate, to the point where President Biden’s team was reportedly desperate to secure it. Her mostly young, primarily female, fan base is famously fiercely loyal. (At times, frighteningly so.) Last fall, she posted a bland message to her then-272 million Instagram followers—she now has 284 million—about the importance of voting in the upcoming Super Tuesday primary elections, with a link to register to vote at the nonpartisan nonprofit site Vote.org. The following day, Vote.org recorded more than 35,000 registrations.

Lately, as the election has drawn closer, the speculation has only heated up. After Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes, appeared to voice approval for Trump recently, and the two couples double-dated days later at the U.S. Open, some pundits wondered in print whether Swift could possibly be a closet Trump supporter. (Swift was vocally critical of Trump in 2020 and has become demonstrably more left-leaning.)

Now, at last, the question has been answered. Minutes after the presidential debate ended, Swift posted a long message to Instagram about why she supports Harris in the coming election, signing off as “Childless Cat Lady.”

Anyone wondering what sheer delight looks like can watch the clip, below, of Rachel Maddow breaking the news of the Swift endorsement to Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, live on air.

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