Former US President Donald Trump has shared a fabricated social media post featuring pop icon Taylor Swift, falsely claiming she endorses him for the upcoming November election. The post, which appeared on Truth Social, shows Swift dressed in patriotic colors—red, white, and blue—alongside a caption stating, “Taylor Swift Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump.” Trump added, “I accept!” in response to the image.
Taylor Swift has not endorsed any candidate for the 2024 election. Historically, she has shown support for Democratic candidates, notably endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during their 2020 campaign. Kamala Harris is expected to be officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for Vice President at the party’s national convention in Chicago this week. Swift has also been critical of Trump, as seen in a 2020 documentary.
Trump’s post sparked reactions, including from his campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, who stated, “Swifties for Trump is a massive movement that grows bigger every single day.” However, many of Swift’s fans and several watchdog groups pointed out that the images Trump posted appeared to be deepfakes created using artificial intelligence.
The music industry, Hollywood, and political advocates have been increasingly concerned about the rise of AI-generated fake images, calling for federal regulations to curb their spread. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen commented on Trump’s post, describing it as “yet another example of AI’s power to create misinformation.” They warned of the potential harm such misinformation could cause, particularly in the context of elections.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Swift fan Rebecca Goff distributed friendship bracelets—a popular trend among Swift’s followers—at a breakfast event hosted by the Nevada Democratic Party. Goff, 39, expressed her belief that Trump represents the opposite of what Swift advocates for, such as empowering women. She said, “That’s like the antithesis of what Trump and the GOP are trying to do, especially to women. They’re trying to make us smaller. They want us to go back to being just housewives, child bearers.”
Swift has not commented on Trump’s post, which also included a video from a supporter falsely claiming that “Swifties were rallying for Trump.” The post was met with mockery and criticism online, with some fans urging Swift to take legal action against Trump.
Both political parties have long sought Swift’s endorsement, but she has remained mostly quiet about her political views. Nevertheless, her influence was evident when she urged her fans to register to vote last fall, resulting in more than 35,000 new registrations through Vote.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit, marking a 23 percent increase from the previous year and the highest since 2020.
Swift’s forays into politics have been closely watched, making her a frequent target of political misinformation and conspiracy theories. Before 2018, some critics speculated she was a secret Republican, but she shattered these assumptions by endorsing a Democratic candidate against far-right US Senator Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee. Since then, Swift has been vocal about issues like abortion rights and LGBTQ rights.
Recently, rumors have circulated on social media suggesting that Swift might endorse Kamala Harris for the upcoming election. While Swift has not made any public statements about this, her fans have already started a group called “Swifties for Kamala,” which has gained tens of thousands of followers across various social media platforms.