Taylor Swift’s refusal to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris shows the pop star is turning “cynical” – and the world of politics may have been just another one of her fleeting eras, a Variety reporter claimed in a new feature.
Daniel D’Addario, the Hollywood trade publication’s chief correspondent, argued the pop superstar’s relative silence about this year’s race for the White House is out of the ordinary.
“The idea that she will remain silent would seem to make her past speaking out, at a more convenient moment, appear cynical,” D’Addario wrote.
“It’d be regrettable if her engagement with the world of politics were just another of her eras, and one from which she were willing to move on.”
Swift endorsed two Democratic candidates in Tennessee – where she moved when she was 14 – ahead of the 2018 midterms and backed Joe Biden in 2020.
She released her “Lover” album in 2019, which included lyrics that seemed to support LGBTQ issues – though critics argued the Easter eggs were vague and unfulfilling.
Yet Swift has noticeably remained silent on the White House race while engaging in her very public romance with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
Last weekend, she was spotted buddying up with Brittany Mahomes – even after the wife of Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes liked one of Donald Trump’s Instagram posts in August and the former president thanked her in return.
She also was uncharacteristically quiet earlier this year when Trump posted AI-generated images of Swift seemingly endorsing him, though she is “unusually protective of her likeness even by the standards of celebrity,” the Variety writer wrote.
“There is little-to-nothing that the world’s most famous performer does without intention and forethought,” D’Addario wrote.
“Her Eras Tour is to continue through December, after the election; it is not unreasonable to think that Swift speaking out on a highly contested race might come with some element of risk.”
After officials thwarted a plot for a terrorist attack during one of Swift’s shows in Vienna, the singer wrote on Instagram that she wouldn’t “speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.”
D’Addario noted that Swift’s decision to delve into political issues – seen in her 2020 feature-length documentary “Miss Americana” – came at a time when her career was “very much in flux.”
“Having gone from major artist to among the biggest acts in the history of recorded music, Swift simply has more at risk now,” D’Addario wrote.
While Swift spoke out against the party in power in 2020, she would now have to defend it – a potentially less “palatable” move, the Variety correspondent argued.
It is also unclear how helpful celebrity endorsements are, since Hillary Clinton lost despite a flood of star power in 2016, he argued.
Swift may yet voice her support for Harris. She endorsed Biden in early October.
“Swift seems from one angle to have no more responsibility to speak out than any other high-profile person – perhaps she might argue she has a responsibility to remain silent,” D’Addario said.
https://nypost.com/2024/09/10/media/taylor-swift-is-cynical-about-politics-variety-columnist-claims/
