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Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential candidacy on Tuesday night after the high-stakes debate with former President Donald Trump, calling the Democratic nominee a "steady-handed, gifted leader."

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," Swift said in a post on Instagram to her more than 283 million followers. "I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."

Swift went on to say that she was "heartened and impressed" by Harris' selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, praising him as a champion of "LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman's right to own her body for decades."

"I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice," the Grammy-winning artist added. "Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story."

Swift, 34, signed her post "Childless Cat Lady" — a reference to language used by Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, to describe women who do not have kids. Swift included a photo of herself holding her cat, Benjamin Button, who has graced the cover of Time magazine with the singer.

Swift's endorsement came as a surprise to the Harris campaign, two campaign officials told NBC News. The campaign views the singer's backing as part of a "decisive victory" for the vice president on the debate stage and speaks to her ability to attract support, one of the officials said.

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Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.

Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.

I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.

I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.

With love and hope,

Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The endorsement had been widely anticipated. Swift threw her support behind President Joe Biden and Harris during the 2020 presidential election. Swift allowed the Biden-Harris campaign to use her song “Only the Young” in an advertisement during the 2020 cycle.

Swift once shied away from weighing in on American politics. But with the release of her documentary "Miss Americana" in 2020, she became more vocal. The movie chronicled her behind-the-scenes fight to publicly denounce Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., then a member of the House. She endorsed Blackburn's Senate opponent, Phil Bredesen.

Blackburn ultimately won the race, but Swift's post on Instagram encouraging people to register to vote activated waves of young people, Vote.org said at the time.

In November, a national NBC News poll found 40% of registered voters had positive views of Swift, while 16% had negative views. A majority of Democrats (53%) viewed her positively, while 28% of Republicans said the same.

In the Instagram post, Swift also criticized social media users who have circulated images generated by artificial intelligence falsely stating that she had endorsed the Trump-Vance ticket. Trump shared a series of those images on his Truth Social platform.

"Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she said. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

Swifties for Kamala, a group of fans who have no official affiliation with either woman, said they were "thrilled."

"We’ve had no doubt that Taylor would endorse at the right time and are excited about the momentum she will bring to this campaign," Irene Kim, the group's co-founder, said in a statement.

Trump was asked to react to the news Swift's endorsement of his opponent after he walked into the "spin room" after the debate. "I have no idea," the GOP nominee said in response.

Enugurangers:
All the swifties will now fall behind Kamala. 283milliom followers.

sleek214:
Still doesn't make any difference. Trump is the next POTUS

Enugurangers:
All the swifties will now fall behind Kamala. 283milliom followers.

Finquas:
She's the next POTUS

CoronaVirusPro:
I am sure you were part of those who believed Peter Obi will be come President.

Your lots always fail to face reality because of emotions.

ShogunNoName:
Kamala was trashed in that debate . Taylor swift endorsing anyone is like Tinubu endorsing you. Only teenagers are her followers who can't or don't vote. Teenagers who paint their hair pink and still live with their parents

Very useless endorsement

frog12:
so trump dealt with her

crazygod:
For the fact that this 'agent of darkness' declared support for Kamala, Trump will win this by God's grace.

Enugurangers:
All the swifties will now fall behind Kamala. 283milliom followers.

Botragelad:
Once more, let's separate the online world from actual reality, shall we? She may have a whopping 500 million followers or more, but, not all of them will follow her lead just because she's endorsed Kamala.

These are merely fans who enjoy her music and might not share her political views. In fact, fans often start to lose interest when their favourite celebrities begin to inject politics into their music, especially if they hold different ideologies. And also, millions of Trump supporters who follow her aren't going to suddenly switch allegiance just because of her endorsement, are they? I think not. So, do the maths.

damkin24:
But you didn't apply this same analogy to your Gbajue man in the lead up to last year general election in Nigeria.