Taylor Swift on Sunday endorsed Tennessee Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper. They are running for the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.The singer alluded to her #MeToo experience as one of the reasons she felt led to throw her support behind the candidates.
Her post focused on her opposition to Blackburn, whose voting record Swift said “appalls and terrifies me.”
“She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives,” Swift wrote.
It caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who on Monday declared that he likes Swift’s music 25% less now
“What’d she say?” Trump said with a smile when he was asked about Swift’s comments on Tennessee politics, walking back toward reporters on the White House’s South Lawn after hearing the pop star’s name shouted at him.
After being told Swift announced her opposition to Blackburn and endorsed Bredesen, Trump offered quick praise for Blackburn, who he said “is doing a very good job in Tennessee.”
On the other hand he gave Swift a blow in her political opinion.
“I’m sure Taylor Swift has nothing — or doesn’t know anything about her (Blackurn),” Trump said.
And then he added, with a laugh: “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now, OK?”
Swift endorsed both Bredesen and Rep. Jim Cooper, a Democrat who is running for re-election to the House, in an Instagram post on Sunday
The star said that while she had been “reluctant” to voice her political opinions in the past, “due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now.”
“I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” Swift said. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. “
Divided American voters had different opinions too about artists engaged in politics. Some conservatives are hailing rapper Kanye West and slamming singer Taylor Swift.
Both artists have been catching heat for their political stances, with one seeming to gain new supporters from unexpected places and the other turning off some core fans.
West has become a major supporter of President Donald Trump, often donning a “Make America Great Again” hat and speaking out for his “brother,” who West says shares his “dragon energy.”
“There’s so many times I talk to, like, a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist,'” West said during a recent appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” “If I was concerned about racism, I would’ve moved out of America a long time ago.”
Both Swift and West have had equally devoted fan bases, many of whom took sides back in 2009 when West infamously hijacked the microphone from Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards.Their ensuing bad blood spilled over in 2016, after a dispute over whether or not West cleared song lyrics about Swift with the singer.
