The Taylor Swift factor: 3 effects of the unexpected political statements of the American star
"Let's say I like Taylor Swift's music now about 25% less."
Without adopting a too serious tone, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, spoke like this about the American artist, who has asked for the vote for two Democratic candidates in the midterm elections that are held on November 6 in the United States. .
Until now, the 28-year-old singer had been quiet about her political stances, but in a post shared Sunday on Instagram (where she has 112 million followers) she explained some of the things that have happened in her country in the last two years. they made him change his mind.
"In the past I have been reluctant to express my political views publicly, but due to various events in my life and in the world in the last two years, I now feel very different," Swift said.
The singer had been criticized in the past from the left for not showing her opposition to the policies of the Republicans, something that many figures in the entertainment world had done.
Swift's unexpected remarks have had some consequences.
1. Voting registrations skyrocket
In addition to explaining her motives for choosing the Democratic candidates, Swift encouraged people to register to vote.
"So many smart, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the last two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But they have to register first, which is a quick and easy thing to do. October 9 is the LAST DAY to register as a voter in the state of Tennessee. Go to vote.org and you will find all the information. Happy voting! "
Many people listened to him.
Some 65,000 registered to vote in the 24 hours after Swift's post across the US.
According to Kamari Guthrie, communications director for vote.org, the website had its second busiest day of the year with 155,940 unique visits, behind only September 25, National Voter Registration Day. The average is about 14,000 visits.
Swift particularly inspired voters in Tennessee, where 2,144 people registered as voters in the last 36 hours, compared to 2,811 for the entire month of September and 951 in August.
2. The disenchantment of Donald Trump
In her post, Swift was especially critical of Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, a candidate for reelection.
"Your voting record in Congress disgusts and scares me," the singer wrote, citing Blackburn's votes against equalizing wages between men and women, and against domestic violence legislation.
This prompted Donald Trump to come to Blackburn's defense.
"She is a tremendous woman. I am sure Taylor Swift does not know anything about her," said the US president, adding that Swift's music now likes "about 25% less."
In the past, Trump has shown her enthusiasm for Swift, as seen in this tweet from 2012:
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@ taylorswift13 Thanks for the beautiful picture --- you are fantastic!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2012
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"Thanks for the beautiful photo, you are fantastic!"
3. The fierce attacks from the extreme right
But the biggest criticism against Swift came from the most conservative sectors of the United States, who thought that the singer was "one of their own", a secret admirer of Donald Trump and her policies.
"Swift is very white and very blonde," the controversial Milo Yiannopoulos wrote in 2016 in Breitbart. "She was born and raised on a Christmas tree farm in rural Pennsylvania. You heard me right: a Christmas tree farm. No wonder the traditional right is ecstatic."
Hence the disappointment in forums of the so-called alt-right, evident in numerous messages on social networks:
This is a betrayal beyond words. Taylor Swift, you have every right to vote for the candidate you like but putting your reasons for in public, while having people who adore you on both sides, is just appalling. You've done a terrible thing being SJW at the wrong time. #disappointed
- Jim Williams (@ jimwills21) October 8, 2018
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"This is a betrayal beyond words. Taylor Swift, you have every right to vote for the candidate you prefer but expressing your motives in public while having people who adore you on both sides is just lousy. You have done something terrible to behaving like a SJW ('social justice warrior') at the wrong time. #disappointed. "
"What I used to love about Taylor Swift was that she stayed away from politics," Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point, told Fox News.
Meanwhile, the Senate Republican National Committee criticized the artist's attitude, ironically declaring that Swift "came down from her ivory tower to tell long-suffering Tennessee workers how to vote."
In 2012, Swift told Time magazine that she didn't talk about politics because she could influence other people.
"I don't think I know enough about life to tell people who to vote for," he said then.
Six years later, the singer feels totally the opposite.
