A bizarre conspiracy about Taylor Swift and Joe Biden is going viral – and her fans aren’t happy
Swift previously endorsed Biden for the presidency in 2020. (Getty)
Many people view Taylor Swift’s relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce as a cute love story after her years of unsuccessful relationships. However, others think it’s actually a conspiracy theory to win Joe Biden a second term in the White House. Yes, really.
On social media, right-wing figures have spread baseless ideas that Swift is part of a Pentagon psychological operation (also known as a psy-op) and suggested that she and Kelce are faking their relationship to get President Biden reelected in November’s election.
Part of this sees Republicans pushing the theory that the Super Bowl, which takes place this Sunday (February 11), has been rigged to make sure that the Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, will win the game. The win will lead to Swift appearing on the pitch and endorsing Biden to for president.
Trump supporters have said they would declare a “holy war” against the pop star if she does endorse Biden, and sources close to the former President said that Trump insisted he is “more popular” than Swift, or at the very least, his fans are more dedicated than her fanbase – though Swifties at the group Voters of Tomorrow quickly hit back at that and dared him to continue “picking a fight with Taylor” which they equated to “picking a fight with young voters”.
Fox News host Sean Hannity also speculated about her potential endorsement, and another Fox News host, Jesse Watters, posted on X a segment where he asked: “Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon PsyOp asset?”
Watters further suggested that the Pentagon floated the idea of “turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting” four years ago, which the Pentagon obviously denied.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also supported the theory, tweeting in January: “I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially popped-up couple this fall.”
A Pentagon spokesperson denied that the couple are working on behalf of Biden, stating: “We know all too well the dangers of conspiracy theories, so to set the record straight – Taylor Swift is not part of a DoD (Department of Defense) psychological operation. Period.”
Despite the denial, social media users are continuing to push the theory. Videos discussing her potential endorsement – which, to be clear, hasn’t happened yet – are receiving millions of views on TikTok.
Swift previously endorsed Biden for president in 2020 and announced that she was voting for Democratic candidates for the Senate and the House in 2018. She has also spoken out against then-U.S. representative Marsha Blackburn for her anti-LGBTQ+ views.
In September, she encouraged her 272 million followers to register to vote, which led to 35,000 registrations on vote.org.
Kelce, by comparison, faced criticism from right-wing NFL fans for appearing in an ad promoting flu and Covid-19 vaccines in a partnership with Pfizer, as well as endorsing the beer brand Bud Light which angered right-wing voters after it collaborated with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.
Additionally, a poll conducted in October 2023 found that 60% of adults in the U.S said they were at least “casual fans” of Swift with 80% of adults in U.S having heard of her relationship with Kelce, suggesting that her endorsement for either party could have major ramifications for the outcome of the election.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that the Biden campaign is hoping for her endorsement due to her major cultural influence, but did not suggest it was coordinated in any way.
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