Perhaps the most famous celebrity in the world has finally weighed in on the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris moments after the conclusion of a debate between the Democratic nominee and her Republican opponent former President Donald Trump, putting to bed any uncertainty about Swift’s political leanings after some criticisms had bubbled on social media over her not being more clear sooner. The election is less than 60 days away, and voting has already begun.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” the TIME Person of the Year wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday night. “I’m voting for [Harris] because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift’s post, which featured a photo of her with her cat that was taken from her TIME cover photoshoot last year, was signed off with her name, followed by “Childless Cat Lady”—a reference to Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s controversial comments about his Democratic opponents and women who choose not to give birth. By contrast, Swift added that she was “heartened and impressed” by Harris’ selection of running mate Minn. Gov. Tim Walz “who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
The endorsement came after months of speculation of an impending endorsement from Swift, who previously endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in the 2020 election and slammed Trump that same year for defunding the U.S. Postal Service and threatening police violence amid racial justice protests.
In her post, Swift also debunked posts shared by Trump last month, including some generated by artificial intelligence, that suggested she supported Trump. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift 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.”
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded to the endorsement of Harris by Swift, a self-made billionaire, by calling it “further evidence that the Democratic Party has unfortunately become the party of the wealthy elite.”
Criticism of Swift’s previous silence swelled over the weekend at the U.S. Open, where she was spotted embracing suspected Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes, the wife of NFL player Patrick Mahomes, a teammate of Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce. Brittany Mahomes has come under fire since she reportedly liked—and later unliked—an Instagram post by the former President last month, which he thanked her for. Some Swifties took to social media to express their disappointment with the singer’s ambiguous political stance.
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” Swift wrote on Tuesday. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”
