Taylor Swift endorses 'warrior' Kamala Harris for president
Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president just moments after the end of her presidential debate against Donald Trump.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday night, the pop star said she had done her "research".
"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," she said. "I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them."
Swift went on to call Harris a "steady-handed, gifted leader".
"I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," she wrote.
Swift announced the news alongside a photo of her with a cat and signed it "Childless Cat Lady", a reference to comments made by Donald Trump's vice-presidential candidate JD Vance.
The Ohio senator has faced a backlash from a 2021 clip in which he called several prominent Democrats - including Harris - "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives".
Swift went on to compliment Harris's choice of vice-presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who she said had been "been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades".
The singer said she was in part motivated to share her voting decision with the public after an AI image of her falsely endorsing Trump was posted on his website.
"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she said. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter."
Swift is one of several celebrities to endorse Harris, including singers John Legend and Olivia Rodrigo, actor George Clooney and director Spike Lee.
Meanwhile, former wrestler Hulk Hogan, TV star Amber Rose and billionaire Elon Musk have endorsed Trump.
Lauren Rosewarne, a University of Melbourne professor who studies the intersection of media and politics, cautioned the Swift endorsement was unlikely to move the needle in Harris's favour.
"No surprise at all, she endorsed Biden and Harris in 2020 so we already knew her politics," Ms Rosewarne told the BBC.
Swift's endorsement could impact on voter registration, Ms Rosewarne said. But because her fan-base skews young and female - and that is already the Harris supporter base - her endorsement may not have a big impact come November.
Swift's endorsement of Harris came after a fiery 90-minute presidential debate, during which the two candidates sparred over issues such as abortion rights, the economy and immigration.
It is not the first time the pop star has endorsed the Democratic nominee in a race against Trump. Swift announced her support for President Joe Biden and Harris as his vice-president a month before the 2020 election.
Swift was also a vocal critic of Trump during his presidency surrounding the nationwide protests over 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?" she posted on Twitter/X. "We will vote you out in November."
The singer has 283 million followers on Instagram. Her endorsement had received more than two million likes on Instagram just half an hour after she posted it.
In her post, Swift urged first-time voters to register and said she would post a link with more voting information on her page.
"I've done my research, and I've made my choice," she said. "Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make."
