Taylor Swift has been under intense pressure from her fangirl base of single young women to throw (what there is of) her weight into politics, but until recently Swift seemed to deem it wise to heed the record-industry equivalent of the dictum attributed to Michael Jordan: “Republicans buy sneakers too.” Last fall, though, Swift broke with precedent and for the first time took an overtly political stance when she endorsed the candidacy of Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in her native Tennessee, meanwhile denouncing Republican Marsha Blackburn as having a voting record that “appalls and terrifies me” and adding, “These are not MY Tennessee values.” Bredesen sank as rapidly as Swift’s latest album, Reputation, losing by double digits.
Today, an interview for Elle magazine, Swift hints that she is going to be very active in Democratic-party politics in 2020. Without mentioning President Trump, she seems to refer to him as “disgusting.”
She tells Elle, “I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life. I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change.” Approaching 30, she says, she has only recently begun to feel comfortable speaking out on politics to her many social-media followers. “Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders,” she says, “and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I’m going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year.” Looks as though the alt-right is going to have to find another Aryan goddess to worship. But will the Democratic National Convention be big enough for both Swift and her notorious enemy (and Hillary Clinton fangirl) Katy Perry? Note to the guys managing the P.A. system: Be careful not to play “Bad Blood” during the breaks.