This weekend, Taylor Swift posted a long and thoughtful message to Instagram endorsing two Democratic candidates running in the Tennessee midterm elections. Many fans have commended Swift for being brave and voicing her political opinions, even if that means alienating some of her more conservative listeners — but, predictably, conservative pundits are furious that Swift is using her platform.
Fox & Friends invited conservative nonprofit founder Charlie Kirk to share his thoughts on Swift’s post and her decision to speak out on her political beliefs. “This is what I used to love about Taylor Swift, that she stayed away from politics. She’s all about music, all about female empowerment,” Kirk told Fox &a Friends. Swift’s Instagram post slammed Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn, whose anti-LGBT, anti-POC voting record “terrifies” Swift.
“I don’t want to accuse her of this,” Kirk accuses. “But I don’t think she was the only one to write that post on Instagram.” Kirk goes on to claim that celebrities who “want to do good in the world” are often given false or misleading information, and urged to speak out without carefully considering the repercussions. Kirk claims that supporting Bredesen goes against Swift’s supposed feminism. And Blackburn is a woman! “I don’t think [Swift] is able to draw that distinction,” Kirk claims.
Blackburn is still ahead, but once numbers are updated after Swift’s post, that may change. In many states, the voter registration deadline is coming up soon. Check out when to register here.
