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The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has exerted a significant political influence. Examined in an extensive body of reporting and analysis, the magnitude of her fame distinguishes her leverage in the politics of the United States from that of other American music artists. Elsewhere, Swift has inspired or been acknowledged by politicians from Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the European Union, amongst other jurisdictions. Music critics have described some of her songs, such as "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" (2019) and "Only the Young" (2020), as political protest songs.
Swift was initially apolitical, avoiding commenting on political topics due to the 2003 Dixie Chicks controversy. After the election of Donald Trump, the 45th U.S. president, she revealed her political stance for the first time, endorsing the Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections in her home state Tennessee, via a highly publicized Instagram post. Characterized as a liberal, Swift is pro-choice, an advocate of gender equality, LGBT rights and gun control, and a vocal critic of racism, white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, and police brutality. She condemned the first Trump presidency, accusing it of racism and fostering violence during the George Floyd protests, criticized the policies of the Republican senator Marsha Blackburn and the overruling of Roe v. Wade, and supported the Equality Act, the creation of Juneteenth as a national holiday and the removal of Confederate statues. She endorsed the Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 United States presidential election, and Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 election.
Subject to media scrutiny, Swift has been praised and criticized by all sides of the political spectrum. In the early 2010s, some neo-Nazis theorized that Swift is their "Aryan" figure in the media,[1] citing her political silence; however, after her open support for Democrats, conservative media outlets alleged she is a "Pentagon psy-op" of the Democrat-led U.S. government.[2] Trumpists and the right wing have derided her "woke" liberal views.[3] On the other hand, a few liberal commentators downplayed Swift's political activism as either performative or inadequate. Nevertheless, Swift has caused unprecedented increases in voter registrations and inspired a variety of legislations, dubbed "the Taylor Swift effect".[4] According to The Times, even though Swift is left-aligned, a portion of the right wing still "covet" her,[5] making her a unifying entity that could help bridge the political divide of the U.S. by drawing various demographics to her cause. Various surveys have reported Swift's approval ratings to be higher than those of Biden and Trump, attributing her political sway in the U.S. to her status as an anomalous American cultural icon.
Swift's fanbase, the Swifties, have been compared to a voting bloc in electoral politics. Various heads of government of the world, such as Justin Trudeau, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Leni Robredo, Gabriel Boric, Emmanuel Macron, and Ulf Kristersson, consider Swift a positive influence on citizens; Chinese state media has consistently praised Swift. On the other hand, Swifties have been the target of extremist attacks such as the 2024 Southport stabbing and the ISIS-assisted Vienna terrorism plot.
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