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How Taylor Swift’s Support for Kamala Harris Is Influencing Her Conservative Fans
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How Taylor Swift’s Support for Kamala Harris Is Influencing Her Conservative Fans

Angel Sobolewski doesn’t take political advice from pop stars, even her favorite Taylor Swift.

That’s why Sobolewski, who regularly promotes Republican candidates through her profile on X, is voting for former President Donald Trump in November, despite being a Swiftie.

“I think you can like an artist without agreeing with their politics,” said Sobolewski, 21. “You know, if we had to agree with their politics, there would probably be two of us left.”

Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday following her debate with Trump irked and disappointed some of the pop star’s many fans on the conservative side of the political spectrum. Others said they weren’t happy about the endorsement — but that they were “Ready For It.”

“We heard last night that she’s going to be endorsing Kamala Harris in the election, but that’s OK, and that, you know, diversity of ideology and diversity of opinion in the United States is important, and we need to keep an open mind,” conservative Swift fan Jenna Piwowarczyk told NBC News.

On social media, many Swifties said they expected the singer, who endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020 but rarely makes political statements, would likely vote for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

People who spoke to NBC News said her comments won’t stop them from listening to the global superstar’s music.

“I think the show of support wasn’t that unexpected,” said Heath Johnson, 15, a self-described “Gen Z Swiftie” from Wisconsin. “I think Taylor really doesn’t like Trump and I think she would support a dead body if it came down to it.”

Swift’s Instagram post on Tuesday, shared after the first debate between Harris and Trump, explained that she decided to support Harris “because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to defend them.”

“I think she is a steady, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote.

Some right-wing Swift fans had already expected these statements.

“We’re not surprised. We know Taylor leans left on some issues, and in her statement she said she’ll vote for Kamala and Tim Walz because of social issues,” said Piwowarczyk, 19, who said she will vote for Trump in the November election.

On Wednesday, Trump responded to Swift’s endorsement of Harris during an interview on “Fox & Friends,” saying, “I was not a fan of Taylor Swift, it was just a matter of time.” He later added, “But she’s a very liberal person, she always seems to support a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for that in the marketplace.”

In her support post, Swift also noted that Trump had shared images that appeared to be AI-generated on his social media platform Truth Social of both her and her fans supporting Trump. She said this made her feel the need to speak out.

Of the images Trump posted, two were actual photos of Piwowarczyk wearing a “Swifties for Trump” shirt.

“I was disappointed in the Trump campaign for posting AI photos because it kind of dilutes the reality of this movement,” Piwowarczyk said, adding that “there are thousands of girls who do support Trump and listen to Taylor Swift.”

One such group is “Swifties for Trump,” a loose ideological group made up of mostly women who identify as conservative Swift enthusiasts.

In a lengthy post on Wednesday, the account “Swifties for Trump” on X, which has no affiliation with Swift, said the group respects Swift’s right to support a candidate, but that it won’t change the group’s passion for Trump. The post emphasized that while the group didn’t intend to pressure Swift into voting for Trump, the singer doesn’t face the same issues as the average American.

“She doesn’t worry, as most young Americans do, that she might never be able to afford a home — a key part of the American dream. … She has worked incredibly hard since she was a teenager to earn everything she has. Most of us, however, live in a very different world than Taylor Swift,” the post read.

The account “Swifties for Trump” declined to comment when contacted by NBC News.

Other Swifties, like Jason Richardson, 23, agreed that Swift’s billionaire status means she’s “out of touch” with her fans. Richardson said some Swift fans can’t afford “food, housing, transportation” because of the Biden administration. Richardson said he’s one of the Swifties who’s genuinely disappointed by Swift’s statement of support for Harris.

“I’m still a huge fan of hers,” Richardson said. “Her endorsement of the Harris campaign doesn’t change my love or admiration for her. I just wish she had made a better choice.”

The worldwide phenomenon of Swift and, more recently, “The Eras Tour” has attracted fans from all walks of life.

In the past, some have speculated that Swift was a Republican, and Vice reported in 2016 that white supremacists saw her as an “Aryan goddess.” But Swift has consistently advocated for left-leaning candidates and policies since she first spoke out about politics six years ago.

The 2020 documentary “Miss Americana” featured scenes in which Swift fought with her team to publicly condemn Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., then a member of the House of Representatives, whom she described as “Trump in a wig.” That same year, she shared a post featuring cookies with Biden’s name on them.

Johnson, speaking to NBC News via X direct message, said he hoped Swift would look at what the Republican Party has to offer beyond Trump. He suggested Swift look at candidates like Nikki Haley, who he said is a closer match for Swift than Harris or Trump.

Still, he said the show of support will do little to change Swift’s fan base.

“The few conservative Swifties who didn’t want her to support her (Harris, like me) were not happy about it, to say the least, but we’re not surprised either,” he said.

Most said they hope Swift and other celebrities will encourage people to vote in the future, but they wouldn’t say exactly which candidate they’re supporting.

“I think it’s pretty common knowledge that she’s a liberal, so it wasn’t surprising and I wasn’t even really disappointed,” Sobolewski said. “I kind of wish she would just keep it to herself.”