Many Republicans fiercely attacked Taylor Swift, fearing that her influence on American youth could give President Biden an advantage.

Female singer Taylor Swift has recently continued to shine wherever she goes, on stages around the world, when cheering for her boyfriend at American National Football League matches, or on the nomination list. Grammy. Now, Swift continues to become the focus of conservative Republican voters, enthusiastic supporters of former President Donald Trump, due to concerns that she could influence the race for the White House this year. now.

Earlier this week, American media reported that President Joe Biden’s election campaign was trying to convince the star to support him in an effort to compete with Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate.

Female singer Taylor Swift in Los Angeles city, California, USA, October 2023. Photo: Reuters

Although Swift has not made any public comments, the media story has sparked outrage among the right wing of the Republican party, sparking a wave of attacks against her.

Some prominent Republican figures such as Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization promoting conservative politics, warned that Swift’s endorsement of President Biden could create a “wave” God is very difficult to stop.”

Conservative pundits on right-wing media channels such as Fox News , One America Network or Newsmax also spent a lot of time discussing Swift this past week. Looking straight into the camera on January 29, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro sent a message specifically for the singer: “Don’t get involved in politics, we don’t want to see you there.”

Mr. Biden’s campaign is still focused on courting major political groups, like unions, but they seem to understand that a statement of support from a pop culture icon like Taylor Swift could helps the President better reach young voters.

Election campaigns calling on celebrities to express support for their candidates is not new in US elections and with Swift’s strong influence, she can attract millions of voters. nationwide.

When local elections in the US took place last year, Swift shared a message on Instagram encouraging fans to register to vote.

“I’ve been so lucky to have met you at your recent shows in America. I’ve heard you speak up and I know how powerful you are. Make sure you’re ready to use it.” Use that power in our election this year,” the female singer wrote.

Traffic to vote.org spiked more than 1,200%, creating a record number of visits to the voter registration website that day. 35,252 new voters were recorded, the most since 2020.

Gwynn Thomas, professor of global gender and sexuality studies at the University of Buffalo, commented that the level of political influence of famous stars is not really clear, but “Taylor Swift is an exception”, because She has an especially close connection with her fans, often referred to as “Swifties”.

There are millions of Swifties worldwide and their love for the singer is so great that her Eras Tour has generated billions of dollars in profits, not only for the pop star but also for the economy. American economy.

On January 29, Fox News host Jesse Watters acknowledged the power of Swifties. Describing them as “a large and emotional demographic”, Watters noted that “if Taylor likes something, they like it”.

For much of her career, Swift has tended to stay away from politics. This changed in 2018, when she expressed support for Democratic congressman Phil Bredesen in the race for the Tennessee Senate seat against Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Swift said that in the past, she “didn’t want to publicly express” her political views, but “due to some events in my life and in the world over the past two years,” she feeling “everything is different”.

“I always and will vote based on which candidate protects and fights for the human rights that I believe we all deserve in this country,” the singer added.

Bredesen lost the race against Blackburn in Tennessee, but Swift later shared more about her decision to publicly support the Democratic candidate in the documentary “Miss Americana” released in 2020, through which she revealed his regret about not speaking out against Mr. Trump in 2016.

In the documentary, Swift’s advisory group explained that her endorsement of Bredesen could make the public think the singer was confronting former president Trump.

“I don’t care,” Swift said. “I’m very sad that I didn’t speak up two years ago.”

Brennan Suen, deputy director of external affairs for Media Matters, a left-leaning media watchdog group, commented that Swift has been “praised for years” for not talking about politics. Now, influential people in the conservative wing of the Republican Party seem to be trying to make her “shut up and just focus on singing” by constantly releasing inflammatory words to scare the singer. scared, not daring to declare support for anyone.

Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren warned Swift earlier this week that “if she wants to protect her legacy, she should stay out of politics.”

In recent months, Swift has gone public with her relationship with Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs football star. The controversial love story not only made Swift’s fan community more interested in the sport, but also prompted a series of baseless claims from the pro-Trump right wing.

According to them, the fact that Kelce and his teammates get to the Super Bowl, the final of the American national football tournament, will definitely lead to Taylor Swift appearing at the event. They believe that this is all an arrangement by the Democratic Party to attract tournament watchers to vote for President Biden.

Travis Kelce celebrates victory with Taylor Swift after a match in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 28. Photo: AFP

Kelce himself has drawn criticism from conservatives because he is sponsored by Bud Light, the beer brand that last year partnered with a transgender actress and angered some right-wing Republicans. He also appeared in Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine ads, a move that upset the anti-vaccination crowd.

Watters on January 29 called Swift and Kelce’s relationship “designed in a laboratory”, implying that the love between the two was “staged” for political purposes.

Conservative commentator Alison Steinberg, host of One America Network, claimed Swift’s relationship was a “sham” designed to make children “obsessed with some grown man being paid millions USD per year to throw shade and advertise deadly lethal injections.”

“Major sports tournaments themselves are nothing more than a psychological game,” Steinberg added.

But Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at the University of Virginia, objected, saying right-wing pundits were “bringing partisan politics into football”, not Taylor Swift.

“The average person watching the match will be fascinated because she’s there as a global star, not because she can vote for Joe Biden,” Lawless commented.

According to her, right-wing pundits seem to be “worried that thanks to someone like Taylor Swift, President Biden ‘s campaign can energize young people in a way that he cannot.”

Swifties are mainly young women, a group of voters that the Republican Party is having difficulty convincing to support, especially after the US Supreme Court overturned the ruling recognizing women’s right to abortion. .

After the court’s 2022 decision, Swift emphasized her support for abortion rights in a post on Twitter, now social network X. She also repeatedly expressed her support for the LGBTQ community as well as her stance against racial inequality.

Former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, January 17. Photo: AP

In a statement on January 31, the Gen Z-focused group Voters of Tomorrow issued a warning to conservative forces seeking to attack Swift fans.

“Gen Z knew Trump was trouble the moment he entered the White House and waged war against abortion rights, voting rights and our safety,” the group said. “By going to war with Taylor, you’re going to war with young voters. And what you end up with is an even worse reputation come November.”