Is Taylor Swift a secret Trump supporter? | Arwa Mahdawi

IIt was the hug that sparked thousands of tweets: On Sunday, Taylor Swift hugged Brittany Mahomes – the wife of NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes – at the US Open. A photo of the hug immediately sparked conversation.

Unless you're “Extremely Online,” the only thing that might stand out about the seemingly harmless hug photo is that Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce (also in the photo), has terrible taste in hats. The broader context, however, is Mahomes' connection to Donald Trump. Last week, the former president thanked Mahomes for “staunchly defending” him after she liked one of his Instagram posts in August. That post, titled “The 2024 GOP Platform,” outlined what a second Trump term would entail — things like “the largest deportation effort in American history.” Mahomes didn't like people criticizing her for liking the post (which she later apparently liked back), calling them “haters” with “deep-rooted issues… dating back to childhood.”

This drama is important because Swift is one of the most influential people on the planet. There has been intense speculation about whether the pop star will endorse a presidential candidate this election cycle. In the absence of such an endorsement, people have been closely scrutinizing her actions for clues about her political alignment. Hugging Mahomes after her Trump controversy? Well, that was taken by some as a sign that Taylor is on Team Trump.

The Mahomes hug isn't the only evidence suggesting Swift, who supported Democratic candidates in 2018 and Joe Biden in 2020, may now be leaning right. There's also the fact that she remained silent when Trump recently shared a series of AI-generated images on his Truth Social platform that suggested Swift and her fans were supporting him. “The Swifties for Trump movement is real!” read the post, which was originally created by a shady right-wing nonprofit. “I accept!” Trump wrote over the fake photos.

If a presidential candidate uses your image without your consent to claim you support his racist and regressive views, that's a big deal. If you find his views abhorrent, you want to publicly distance yourself from him, right? There are dozens of famous musicians, from Céline Dion to Beyoncé, who have publicly stated that they don't want Trump to use their music at rallies. “Don't even think about using my music, you fascists,” Jack White said last month after a Trump adviser used a White Stripes song in an online video. White added that he would sue the Trump campaign. If you're angry that a man like Trump associates himself with you, then that is how you behave. Meanwhile, various media outlets reported that Swift's “spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment” after Trump posted the fake promotional photos.

To be clear, I don't think Swift is a secret Trump supporter. After all, she has been critical of him in the past. But it cannot be stressed enough that Swift is not a billionaire just because she sings catchy songs. She is a billionaire because she is a brilliant businesswoman who meticulously controls her personal brand. Everything she does, she does with purpose, knowing that her fan base is scrutinizing her closely, trying to decipher even the most mundane action as if it were the Rosetta Stone. One imagines that the reason her spokesperson did not comment on the fake Trump photos was not because they were too busy, but because they decided remaining silent would be the wisest solution.

Swift did support Biden-Harris in 2020, but that was a very different time. After the George Floyd protests, “brands that are otherwise silent on social justice issues began to speak out,” according to a 2021 AdAge article. They did so because they knew being in tune with the zeitgeist was good for their business. Now, companies are being targeted by the right with boycotts and harassment when they support progressive causes. That bullying has worked: Industry experts have warned of a worrying trend of brands making significant backsliding moves on diversity and sustainability initiatives. Swift is one of the biggest brands around; it's only natural that she would stay out of politics.

Still, I hope Swift proves me wrong and speaks out in this election campaign. We live in a world where everything is political. Swift doesn't avoid politics by staying silent: her silence speaks louder than words.