Former President Donald Trump downplayed Taylor Swift’s shocking endorsement of Kamala Harris, saying Wednesday morning there was another NFL-related award he valued more.
“I actually like Mrs. Mahomes a lot more, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, hours after the prime-time debate in Philadelphia.
She was referring to Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a friend of Taylor Swift’s who attended several games with the singer last season while cheering on the team and Swift’s boyfriend, Jason Kelce.
Mahomes drew attention when he “liked” a Trump post on his Instagram page, suggesting a political divide between the friends.
“She’s a huge Trump fan,” Trump said in the interview, which followed a late-night interview with Sean Hannity on the same network after a clash with Harris in which several conservative commentators gave the advantage to his rival.
“I wasn’t a Taylor Swift fan. It was just a matter of time. She couldn’t… it wasn’t possible to support Biden. Look at Biden. It wasn’t possible to support him.”
Former President Donald Trump was called into Fox News hours after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris
He called Swift a “very liberal” person and tried to downplay her support for Harris, concluding with a scathing “cat lady” joke.
“She seems to always support a Democrat, she’ll probably pay a price in the market for that, but no. I like Brittany. I think Brittany’s great. She got a lot of news last week. She’s a big MAGA fan, which I like more than Taylor Swift,” Trump said.
Swift dramatically endorsed Kamala Harris moments after the presidential debate in one of the biggest moments of the monumental night of the 2024 race.
The megastar made the shock announcement on Instagram after the ABC showdown where Trump accused immigrants of eating pets and said Democrats wanted to “execute babies” in the ninth month of pregnancy.
The world has been waiting for the 34-year-old Pennsylvania native to weigh in on the election after endorsing Joe Biden in 2020.
And he chose the first meeting between Trump and Harris to make clear that he supported the Democrats and criticized the former president for “falsely” claiming his support with a series of artificial intelligence images.
In a race that could be decided by miniscule margins, Swift’s endorsement could have huge ramifications for momentum less than eight weeks before Election Day.
It was the capper on a positive night for Harris, who was widely declared the winner on the biggest night of her career.
The Trump campaign downplayed the endorsement, saying it was further evidence that Swift is part of the “Democratic elite.”
Swift mocked Republicans in her support. She included a photo of her cat, a dig at Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who mocked “childless cat ladies.” Harris supporters took the chant seriously and formed cat lady groups to support Harris.
The singer said in her post that she was disturbed by false reports that she had supported Trump.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election,” he wrote.
She signed her post as “childless cat lady.”
The Trump campaign ignored the endorsement.
“It’s further proof that the Democratic Party, unfortunately, is the party of the wealthy elite,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told DailyMail.com.
‘And Taylor Swift may make great music, but she doesn’t understand the struggles of ordinary, working-class families, and President Trump is speaking on behalf of those hard-working, struggling families who don’t have the privilege, like Taylor Swift, of living in a gated community, who need their local police funded, who want their Second Amendment right to defend themselves and their family because they don’t have armed security like Taylor Swift does.’
Swift has endorsed candidates in the past. She backed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. And in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, Swift said she supported Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 election and accused Trump of treating the presidency like “an autocracy.”
Taylor Swift posted her support moments after Donald Trump and Kamala Harris finished their first debate
Her post describing her support was lengthy:
“Like many of you, I watched tonight’s debate. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do some research on the issues at hand and the positions these candidates take on the issues that matter most to you. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read as much as I can about their policy proposals and plans for this country,” Swift wrote.
“I recently learned that an AI depicting ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential bid had been posted on their site. It really raised my fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It led me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The easiest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” she added.
She noted that ‘I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to champion. I think she’s a talented and steady leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we’re guided by calm and not chaos. I was very encouraged and impressed by her choice of running mate @timwalz who has been championing LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.’
“I’ve done my research and I’ve made my decision. The research is all yours and the choice is yours. I also want to say, especially to first-time voters: remember that in order to vote, you must be registered! I also find it much easier to vote early. In my story I’ll give you links to places to register and find dates and information for voting early,” she wrote.
She finished it: ‘With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.’
She introduced her tabby cat Benjamin Button, the third of her three cats.
Tim Walz learned of the endorsement in real time during an interview on MSNBC.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift,” Walz said. “I say that as a cat owner.”
“That’s the kind of courage we need in America,” she added. “This is an opportunity, Swifties: KamalaHarris.com, go there.”
Harris stopped by a party to watch the debate after her meeting with Trump. Her farewell song was Swift’s The Man.
Swift endorsed Kamala Harris after the debate
Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at the US Open
Swift’s post garnered more than 2.8 million likes in less than an hour. Swift has 283 million followers on Instagram.
The singer, who is dating Chiefs player Travis Kelce, has reportedly split from her friend Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick.
But the pair have seemingly put aside their differing political views and were spotted together at the US Open over the weekend.
Mahomes liked some of Trump’s Instagram posts, sparking speculation that he supports the former president.
And caused Instagram to crash after she… I liked a response from a follower that said: ‘TRUMP-VANCE 2024’.
She also liked another message of support after sparking outrage for initially liking a Trump post about the November election.
“Glad to see you’re not giving up,” read the comment she liked. “We are all entitled to our own opinions and we shouldn’t be forced to submit.”
Trump thanked Mahomes for his support.
“I want to thank the beautiful Brittany Mahomes for standing up so strongly for me, and the fact that MAGA is the largest and most powerful political movement in the history of our now failed country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform earlier this month.
Swift has faced criticism from some for her close friendship with Mahomes. The two women often spend time together at games and frequently hug.
Swift and Kelce joined the two Mahomes at the U.S. Open in New York. Swift was attacked by some fans for hugging Mahomes and faced pressure to clarify her own views on the presidential election.
Mahomes and Taylor Swift have formed a close friendship over the past 12 months.
Donald Trump’s campaign dismissed Taylor Swift’s support for his Democratic rival
It’s unclear how influential Swift’s endorsement will be.
An NBC News poll in November found that 40% of registered voters had positive views of Swift, while 16% had negative views.
But Swift has a large following among young voters. In her endorsement of Harris, she also encouraged people to register to vote.