No amount of hate will stop Taylor Swift from reaching new heights. Her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” released Oct. 3, sold more than 4 million copies in its first week—which is quite a lot for someone the president of the United States says is “no longer hot.”
Despite President Donald Trump’s August claim that the “tide” was turning against Swift and her “woke” music, she has officially broken Adele’s record for most album sales in one week.
Swift has built herself into an international success, cementing her place at the throne of musical greats, and—despite what Trump says—she isn’t going anywhere. But this feud might outlast us all.
Swift first started voicing opposition to Republicans in 2018, when she spoke out against GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
“She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. “She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Trump responded to Swift’s post by saying that he liked her a little less.
“You know, Marsha Blackburn is doing a very good job in Tennessee, she’s leading now substantially, which she should,” Trump, who had a track record of praising Swift, said to reporters. “She’s a tremendous woman. I’m sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know anything about her. And let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now, okay?”
The two celebrities haven’t had a clear connection outside of appearing in ads together, but Swift did briefly date Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son, Conor Kennedy, in 2012. Though it’s unclear how close she ever ran with Trump’s circle.
Then in 2020, Swift called out Trump’s incendiary approach to politics amid protests following the police murder of George Floyd.
“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 you out in November,” she wrote on X.
And while Trump was ultimately voted out in 2020, Swift expressed her opposition to his 2024 campaign after Trump used an AI-generated ad stating that she supported his run.
“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site,” she wrote on Instagram in September 2024. “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
Continuing, she said, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for [Harris] because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
But Trump’s public disdain toward celebrities who don’t support him isn’t just limited to Swift.
Seemingly in disbelief that stars like Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen could support his opponent, Trump claimed that Harris was using campaign funds to pay celebrities for their endorsements.
“According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” he wrote on Truth Social in May. “THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL!”
But despite Trump’s best efforts, Democrat-supporting artists like Swift seem to be doing just fine without his support.
