She’s known for leaving cryptic messages in her songs, but Taylor Swift didn’t mince words when issuing her shocking statement supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, reportedly fueled by Donald Trump’s “scary” rant.
The megastar, 34, had notably not endorsed any candidate, with a source telling DailyMail.com that the Blank Space singer had been “going back and forth” for weeks on whether or not to speak publicly about the upcoming election.
“She had thought about making a statement after the debate, but she wasn’t 100 percent sure,” the source explained.
But after watching the prime-time debate — in which Trump, 78, accused immigrants of eating pets and claimed Democrats want to “execute babies” in their ninth month of pregnancy — the singer knew she “had to speak up and choose sides for the safety of herself, her family, her friends and her fans.”
“She found his tirade absolutely terrifying,” they said.
Taylor Swift made the surprising statement that she will support Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday night
The source continued: “He was dishonest, arrogant, rude and worst of all, he was unapologetic about it.”
After noticing how “distant” Trump was, the source said Swift “knew” she needed to back up Harris, 59.
”(She knew) it was time to stand on the side of history again by supporting a candidate who could help create a country free of hate, inequality, division and racism,” they shared.
“Taylor is likely to make a donation to the campaign,” the source continued.
Aware of the immense political influence her voice and fan base have, Taylor stood by Kamala — for herself, for her supporters, for her rights as a woman, and even for her cat, Meredith.
Swift’s statement, which was posted on Instagramgot more than 2.8 million likes in less than an hour.
The post came weeks after she expressed hesitation to speak out following the foiled terror plot at her Vienna concert in August.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the Cruel Summer singer said she was “devastated” and revealed she initially kept quiet because her “priority” was to finish the European leg of her tour “safely.”
The 34-year-old singer knew she “had to speak out and choose sides for the safety of herself, her family, her friends and her fans,” and publicly supported Harris in a social media post Tuesday night.
In the ABC prime-time debate, Donald Trump accused immigrants of eating pets and claimed Democrats want to “execute babies” in the ninth month of pregnancy.
She added: “Let me be very clear: I will not speak about something publicly if I think that doing so might provoke those who want to harm the fans who come to my shows.”
Swift, who is dating Chiefs player Travis Kelce, sparked backlash after she was spotted with close friend Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick, at the US Open.
Brittany has liked a few of Trump’s Instagram posts in recent weeks, leading to speculation that she supports the former president.
She later sent Instagram into a frenzy after liking a follower’s reply that read: “TRUMP-VANCE 2024.”
She also liked another message of support after sparking outrage for initially liking a Trump post about the November election.
“I’m glad to see you’re not giving up,” read the comment she liked. “We’re all entitled to our own opinions and we shouldn’t be forced to submit.”
The former president publicly thanked Brittany for her 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 faced criticism from some for her close friendship with Brittany as the two often hung out together at games and it blew up on social media.
Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift have formed a close friendship over the past 12 months, but it has sparked backlash in recent weeks due to the former’s political leanings.
Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, 34, is expected to follow suit and endorse Harris.
Swift endorsed Joe Biden and Harris in the 2020 presidential election, just a month before voters went to the polls
Former President Trump downplayed Swift’s shocking endorsement of Harris, saying Wednesday morning that he valued Brittany’s support more and that he is not a fan of Swift.
“She’s a huge Trump fan,” Trump said in an interview on Fox and Friends, 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 edge to his rival.
“I wasn’t a Taylor Swift fan,” she said. “It was just a matter of time. She couldn’t… it wasn’t possible to support Biden. Look at Biden, it’s not possible to support him.”
He called the singer a “very liberal” person and tried to downplay her support for Harris, concluding with a scathing joke about the “cat lady.”
“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.
This is not the first time the Eras Tour singer has endorsed a Democratic candidate. In 2020, Taylor backed Joe Biden in the 2020 election, and in a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she said she supported Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 election and accused Trump of treating the presidency like “an autocracy.”