Taylor Swift has finally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz. But according to GOP vice-presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Swift backing the Democratic Party won’t move the needle for voters.
Shortly after Tuesday night’s ABC News presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump, Swift posted her long-awaited endorsement of Harris’ campaign on Instagram.
In her post, the superstar said, “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
She signed her post with her name above the words “Childless Cat Lady.” This was likely a jab at Vance’s now infamous comment on childless people.
Vance was asked about the endorsement during a Fox News interview with anchor Martha MacCallum on Wednesday.
“I don’t think most Americans, whether they like her music or are fans of her or not, are gonna be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans,” Vance said.
“Look, when grocery prices go up by 20 percent, it hurts most Americans,” he added. “It doesn’t hurt Taylor Swift.”
“When housing prices become unaffordable, it doesn’t affect Taylor Swift or any other billionaire. It does affect middle-class Americans all over our country,” he said.
Trump was asked about the endorsement when he showed up for a surprise appearance in the debate spin room on Tuesday night. At the time, he said he had “no idea” about Swift’s endorsement.
He had more to say on Wednesday, however, when he told “Fox & Friends” that he isn’t “a Taylor Swift fan.”
“She’s a very liberal person, she seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” Trump added.
Referring to her closeness to Brittany Mahomes, the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Trump also said: “I actually like Mrs Mahomes much better; she’s a big Trump fan.”
Brittany Mahomes — who’s part of Swift’s friend group — recently liked, then un-liked, a post on Trump’s Instagram account.
Despite his criticism of Swift, Trump has previously tried to use the pop star in his campaign messaging.
In August, Trump posted an AI-generated image of Swift urging people to vote for him, as well as AI-generated women wearing “Swifties for Trump” shirts, on Truth Social.
“I accept!” he wrote in the caption of the Truth Social post.
Swift referenced the AI images in her endorsement message.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she wrote. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
For their part, the Harris-Walz campaign wasted no time churning out merch after Swift’s endorsement — launching a pack of two friendship bracelets for $20.
The adjustable bracelets are made with blue and black thread and cream-colored clay beads that spell out “Harris Walz 24.”
“Are you ready for it? Harris-Walz friendship bracelets are here!” the product description says, referring to Swift’s popular song “Ready for It?” from her 2017 “Reputation” album.
Representatives of Vance and Swift didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours.
