Donald Trump is sharing AI-generated images on social media suggesting that Taylor Swift and her fans are endorsing his presidential campaign.
On Sunday, Aug. 18, the Republican presidential nominee, 78, reposted a series of altered photos on Truth Social of women wearing “Swifties For Trump” T-shirts. One screenshot in the series features a headline that is labeled “satire,” which reads: “Swifties Turning to Trump After ISIS Foiled Taylor Swift Concert.”
Trump also shared a fake poster of Swift, 34, in the style of the iconic Uncle Sam military recruitment poster. The poster reads “Taylor Wants You to Vote for Donald Trump,” and features a computer-generated image of Swift pointing while standing in front of the American flag and wearing a top hat.
Trump captioned the post: “I accept!”
Donald Trump; Taylor Swift. KGC-03/STAR MAX/IPx; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
After the former president posted about the “Swifties for Trump” movement without any disclaimers, some took it at face value. He later shared a video of an unidentified woman appearing to believe the fake headline and altered images he shared.
“I never thought I’d see the day that Swifties were rallying for Trump,” the woman says in the clip. “I guess something with ISIS happened. There’s a lot of terrorism going on. I guess she had to shut down shows because of it, and a lot of them are just saying, ‘You know, if Trump was in office, this would have never ever happened.’ “
Swift did recently cancel shows in Viennadue to a terror plot, but the incident did not lead her to endorse Trump for president, nor spark any notable “Swifties for Trump” political movement.
Taylor Swift holds Biden-Harris cookies after endorsing the Democratic White House ticket in 2020. Taylor Swift/Instagram
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Swift threw her support behind current President Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris in their bid to unseat President Trump.
The pop superstar announced her support for Biden and Harris at the time in a message posted to her social media pages. Alongside her V Magazine cover — which saw the word “Vote” emblazoned across her face in blue — and a photo of herself holding a large plate of “Biden Harris 2020” cookies, Swift wrote, “I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president.”
She then noted the “apt” timing of the magazine’s release “on the night of the VP debate.” “Gonna be watching and supporting @kamalaharris by yelling at the tv a lot,” Swift wrote at the time. “And I also have custom cookies 🍪💪😘.”
In the magazine’s Winter 2020 issue, Swift said that the “change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included.”
“Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first,” she added.
Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024.
Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty
The V magazine interview came two years after Swift broke her political silence and threw her support behind two Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee in late 2018.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Swift went public with her stance against then-senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn, who was anti-gay marriage, anti-gay rights and supported rolling back protections for women when it came to domestic violence and stalking.
The moment was shown on the musician’s 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, with Swift opening up about her decision to go public with her views after years of keeping her political stances private.
“I’m saying right now that I’m doing something that I know is right, and I need to be on the right side of history,” she told members of her organization at a board meeting in the documentary.
Earlier this year, Swift urged her fans to votein the 2024 United States presidential primary election.
“Today, March 5, is the Presidential Primary in Tennessee and 16 other states and territories,” she wrote in a March post on her Instagram Stories, spotlighting her home state.
“I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote today,” continued Swift.
“Whether you’re in Tennessee or somewhere else in the US, check your polling places and times at vote.org,” the Grammy winner added.
