The Twisted Logic of the Taylor Swift Backlash: ‘It Seems Like Political Suicide’
Taylor Swift has several titles, including cultural juggernaut, international music star, and millionaire entrepreneur. She can now add the MAGA conspiracy theory target to her list.
Far-right internet personalities, including a former Republican presidential candidate, are spreading the idea that something is wrong with Swift's relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star player Travis Kelce,
that the Super Bowl is rigged, and that everything is leading up to Swift's presidential endorsement of Joe Biden.
Swift was formerly famously anti-politics, but she stepped into the fray in 2018 by endorsing Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, and she backed Biden in 2020.
That may have initially soured some conservatives on Swift, but in recent days, the right appears to have launched a full-fledged onslaught on her.
It appears to be extraordinarily dumb politics, especially as the gender gap widens and Republican support among suburban women dwindles.
To investigate Swift's growing popularity and how the assaults could backfire on the GOP, POLITICO Magazine contacted Brian Donovan, a University of Kansas professor who teaches a popular college course called "The Sociology of Taylor Swift."
"The Swiftie fan is arguably the most immersive and intense fandom in the U.S. right now," Donovan said in a statement. "And provoking them is simply political folly.
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