Mail has been taking a bit longer these days, and celebrities are not having it — for a much bigger reason than delayed packages. They are far more worried about the upcoming 2020 election.
Among those frustrated is Taylor Swift, who took to Twitter on Saturday to slam President Donald Trump’s recent handling of the U.S. Postal Service and urge people to “vote early.”
“Trump’s calculated dismantling of USPS proves one thing clearly: He is WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president,” she tweeted. “He’s chosen to blatantly cheat and put millions of Americans’ lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power.”
“Donald Trump’s ineffective leadership gravely worsened the crisis that we are in and he is now taking advantage of it to subvert and destroy our right to vote and vote safely,” she added. “Request a ballot early. Vote early.”
Trump’s calculated dismantling of USPS proves one thing clearly: He is WELL AWARE that we do not want him as our president. He’s chosen to blatantly cheat and put millions of Americans’ lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 15, 2020
The 30-year-old singer’s message came two days after Trump seemingly admitted on Fox Business that he was intentionally withholding money from the USPS, which would ultimately disrupt the company’s ability to manage mail-in voting for the election in November.
“They need that money in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” the president said in regard to the states using mail-in voting systems. “But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting, because they’re not equipped to have it.”
Trump later attempted to soften his comments, saying during this regular briefing with reporters on Thursday that he would not veto a coronavirus relief bill if there was support for the Postal Service included in it, though he did continue to claim that voting by mail leads to voter fraud, though that has long been unsubstantiated.
“We want people to vote, but we want people to vote so when they vote it means one vote,” he said, adding, “I’m not doing this for any reason. Maybe the other turns out to be my advantage. I don’t know, I can’t tell you that. But I do know this: I just want an accurate vote.”
This came on the heels of letters being sent to 41 states, warning that there was a concern regarding on-time ballots due to “incongruous” post office delivery standards.
Americans from across the country took to social media on Friday to show some of the dismantling they were seeing right in front of their eyes, including mail trucks reportedly being towed away in Los Angeles and mailboxes being removed in Portland, Oregon. However, a spokesperson for the USPS told The Oregonianthat removals in Portland and Oregon’s state capital, Eugene, were due to a significant decline in first-class mail volume, “especially since the pandemic,” which has meant “less mail in collection boxes.”
Chrissy Teigen wrote about her anger with the Portland situation on Twitter, commenting on a photo posted by Mia Farrow.
“HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING???? How is this really happening????? How can he do this??” the pregnant model wrote. “He will literally stop at NOTHING. even his supporters HAVE to understand this is wrong. NO???”
HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING???? How is this really happening????? How can he do this?? He will literally stop at NOTHING. even his supporters HAVE to understand this is wrong. NO??? https://t.co/FzLZL4ikDI
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) August 15, 2020
Swift and Teigen are far from the only celebrities who’ve taken to Twitter to express their anger or help save the USPS, and politicians are chiming in as well. See more reactions below.
?????? https://t.co/nNdRTPgPL8
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) August 14, 2020
Subpoena the Postmaster General NOW and if he doesn’t show up arrest him. Fuck your recess. We’re dying here. DO SOMETHING.
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) August 15, 2020
Voting by mail is safe and secure. And don’t take my word for it:
Take it from the President, who just requested his mail-in ballot for the Florida primary on Tuesday.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 14, 2020
Deliberately sabotaging the USPS to undermine free and fair elections is shameful and unpatriotic. The USPS is vital to our democracy, our seniors, our veterans & Americans across the country. The Senate must stop stonewalling and support the USPS against the President’s attack. https://t.co/GABp9RXwPT
— Rep. Mikie Sherrill (@RepSherrill) August 13, 2020
Is this Belarus? Or America!? Trump is destroying our democracy. He shows actions of authoritarianism daily now. Removing sorting machines from the post office. Removing competent people from office and replacing with his cronies. Tear gas against his own people. Terrifying. https://t.co/UlJ43HfZO4
— Meredith Salenger (@MeredthSalenger) August 14, 2020
Department of Homeland Security, CBP, ICE – not in the Constitution. You know what IS in the Constitution? The fucking postal service. Article I, Section 8, Clause 7.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) August 14, 2020
This is beyond alarming. https://t.co/ULZaEFpRsS
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) August 14, 2020
I think we’ve all become numb to his outrages but c’mon! He’s destroying the Post Office! https://t.co/7uZamSIR7k
— Denis O’Hare (@denisohare) August 13, 2020
Is it possible to volunteer at the post office?
— Clancy Brown (@RealClancyBrown) August 14, 2020
All of this comes as CBS News reports that an internal watchdog for the USPS launched an investigation into recent changes made at nationwide post offices by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by Trump in May. Senator Elizabeth Warren led a group of Democrats last week in requesting for the Postal Service inspector general to probe policy changes.
“Recent changes have slowed mail delivery, threatening the well-being of millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service for delivery of Social Security checks, prescriptions, and everyday mail of all kinds — and they appear to pose a potential threat to mail-in ballots and the 2020 general election,” Warren’s office said in a statement last week.
In addition, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to MSNBC on Friday about how post office changes appear to be a concerted effort against a fair 2020 election. “The removal of equipment within the postal offices and the rest is to undermine the postal service at a time when the postal service is needed more than ever,” she said.
As of Saturday afternoon, the New York Times reported that about 100 people had gathered outside of the DeJoy’s Washington, D.C., home in protest, calling for his resignation.
Though Swift was quiet about her politics in the past, she has become much more vocal as of late. Starting in 2018, she spoke up about voting for democrats in the Tennessee election that year and encouraged others to vote and speak out against “fear-based extremism.” She also released the political anthem “Only the Young,” from her documentary, Miss Americana, in January.
