Taylor Swift endorses ‘warrior’ Kamala Harris to be next president of the United States

Pop superstar Taylor Swift has publicly backed “warrior” Vice President Kamala Harris in the race to the White House.

Swift is famously hesitant to declare her political allegiances but published a post in the minutes following the presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and Ms Harris.

Swift shared a photograph of her, along with her cat, in the Instagram post, telling her 283 million followers that she was endorsing the Vice President.

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” she said.

“If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most.

“As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”

Swift referred to the recent controversy surrounding AI using her image to falsely endorse the Trump campaign.

“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.

“The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.

“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.”

In the post, Taylor Swift also endorsed Ms Harris’ running mate Mr Walz, saying she was “heartened and impressed” by his stance on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion and IVF.

“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” he said.

“Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first-time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.”

Swift signed off the post “with love and hope” from Taylor Swift, “Childless Cat Lady”.

The sign-off is a swipe at Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance, who in a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson lamented the fact that the US was being run by “childless cat ladies”.

Ms Harris and high-profile Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among those he listed under this category.

Swift’s 283 million Instagram followers dwarfs those of both Donald Trump at 26.4 million and Kamala Harris 16.9 million.

The internet response has been... swift.