Trump Shares Misleading Posts Suggesting Taylor Swift Backs Him
Donald Trump has stirred controversy by sharing misleading images on social media that falsely suggest pop star Taylor Swift is endorsing him. The former president and current Republican presidential candidate posted a message saying, “I accept!” alongside several images of Swift and her fans, many of which were generated using artificial intelligence.
These posts quickly drew criticism from Swift’s passionate fan base, known as the Swifties, who accused Trump of spreading false information. Swift has not endorsed any candidate for the 2024 election. However, she supported the Democratic Party in the 2020 election and has previously been outspoken in her criticism of Trump during his presidency.
One of the images Trump shared showed Swift fans wearing t-shirts with the slogan “Swifties for Trump.” The image included a satirical label and a headline that read: “Swifties turning to Trump after ISIS foiled Taylor Swift concert.” This reference is tied to a recent incident where Swift had to cancel three concerts in Vienna due to a potential security threat. Two individuals were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks inspired by the Islamic State group.
Another image re-posted by Trump resembled a World War I U.S. Army recruitment poster, replacing Uncle Sam’s face with Swift’s and declaring, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.” NBC News noted that two of the women featured in the images Trump shared are actual Trump supporters.
Swift, who backed the Democrats in the 2020 election, has been a vocal critic of Trump. During the protests following George Floyd’s death, she condemned Trump for his role in fueling racial tensions, tweeting, “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? We will vote you out in November.”
Earlier this year, the BBC reported on numerous deepfake images showing Black Americans appearing to support Trump. While these images were widely circulated, there was no evidence to suggest they were connected to Trump’s campaign.
