Ousted CNN host Don Lemon is urging pop superstar Taylor Swift to run and endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a bid to encourage younger voters to cast their ballots for her in November.
Lemon, 58, made his plea to DailyMail.com while walking through the streets of Greenwich Village in New York City on Friday.
Swift, who has nearly 500 million followers across her social media accounts, has recently stayed away from politics, preferring not to intervene so as not to alienate her fan base, known as “Swifties,” although she did speak out in 2020.
But as far as Lemon is concerned, time is of the essence and he believes Swift should make her political allegiances clear once again.
“Taylor Swift needs to step up. She’s very influential. She can change the course of an election,” Lemon said.
Ousted CNN host Don Lemon is urging pop superstar Taylor Swift to run and endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a bid to encourage younger people to vote for her in November.
Swift has previously criticized Trump but has so far remained silent on the 2024 cycle.
“If she believes in women’s reproductive rights and women’s right to choose and democracy, I would say Taylor Swift needs to act. It would be a wasted opportunity if she doesn’t use her platform to do good,” Lemon said.
Swift has previously criticized the Republican candidate and vowed to “vote him out” ahead of the 2020 election after being “completely blindsided” by his 2016 victory.
Before Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, Swift kept quiet about her political leanings, leading some to suspect she was actually a secret Republican.
But during the 2018 midterm elections, he expressed strong support for Tennessee Democrats, including Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and House candidate Jim Cooper.
She explained in an Instagram post: ‘I’ve been reluctant to publicly express my political views in the past, but due to various events in my life and in the world over the past two years, I now feel very differently about it.
“I have always and will always cast my vote for the candidate who will protect and fight for the human rights that I believe we all deserve in this country.”
Lemon spoke to our reporter on the streets of New York City on Friday and urged Swift to speak out.
Swift endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential race
She previously criticized Trump and vowed to “vote him out” ahead of the 2020 election after being “completely blindsided” by his 2016 victory, but has been silent so far on 2024.
In 2020, the Blank Space singer came out in full support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election,” she said. “Under their leadership, I believe America has the opportunity to begin the healing process it so desperately needs,” she said in an interview with V Magazine ahead of the election.
She also tagged Trump in an X post criticizing him: “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts?’ We will vote for you in November.”
In her documentary, Miss Americana, which came out in 2020, Swift addressed her decision to speak publicly about politics saying, “I need to be on the right side of history.”
Swift has been a close ally of the LGBTQ community. She also criticized the U.S. Supreme Court after it overturned the Roe v Wade ruling ending the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
Last month, Trump, 78, shared AI-generated posts on his Truth Social platform suggesting he had won the support of Swift, 34, and her fans, known as “Swifties.”
Swifties have rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris with the @Swifties4Kamala account already attracting 76,000 followers.
During last month’s Democratic National Committee convention in Chicago, the event even paid tribute to Swift with stations where DNC attendees could make friendship bracelets, which Swifties trade at concerts and fan meets.
The New York Times reported earlier this year that Joe Biden’s campaign had been actively seeking Swift’s endorsement.
Trump has previously questioned whether Swift is “legitimately liberal” or if it’s all an act.
The former president spoke about the megastar in an interview with Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh for his book Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, which was published in June.
“Is he liberal or is it just an act?” Trump asked. “Is he legitimately liberal? Isn’t it an act?”
He added: “I’m surprised that a country star can be successful as a liberal.”
Lemon was ousted from CNN in April 2023 after 17 years with the company, after sparking backlash with several controversial comments, including calling Nikki Haley “past her prime.”
Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023 after a short and disastrous run as a morning show host.
His sudden downfall came months after he said then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her prime.
CNN’s then-president and CEO Chris Licht announced that they had “parted ways.” Lemon called it a firing and said he was surprised.
“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me this directly,” Lemon said.
CNN has not offered any public explanation for Lemon’s firing.
During the argument that ultimately led to her exit alongside co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins over the ages of politicians, she said Haley was “not in her prime.”
A woman, she said, considered herself in her prime “when she was 20, 30, maybe 40.”
Harlow challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he meant: “I think we need to qualify. Are you talking about the ideal age to have children or the ideal age to be president?”
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just stating the facts,” Lemon responded.