Pop star Taylor Swift came out with a bold endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris before receiving a major bump in her follower count.
Alongside a photo from her Time Person of the Year cover story, she wrote on Instagram: “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
Many wondered if bold political stance would tarnish Taylor’s music empire, but it appears to have done the exact opposite. Taylor gained 1.8 million followers on Spotify between Sept. 10, when she made the post, and Oct. 3.
Following the endorsement, Donald Trump was sent into a rage. On Truth Social he declared that he “hates” the music icon. In fact, he even said she would “probably pay a price for it in the market place.” While many of Trump’s dedicated supporters certainly turned hostile against Taylor, including a man who purchased an allegedly signed guitar just to destroy it, his prediction didn’t quite ring true as she continues to be at the top of the music industry.
Donald Trump was engaged by Taylor’s endorsement ( Image:Getty Images)
It is true that her Spotify monthly listeners saw a 3% decrease, but it was not necessarily linked to the endorsement. Instead, Taylor released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, in April, shooting up her listeners to 116 million. The expected drop is taking her listener level down to a more normal state for the singer which is still in the many millions.
Her Instagram follower count also took a turn upwards by about 260,000 people. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived singer continues to gain followers across all major social media platforms with her latest record sales continuing to break records.
