US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday launched a verbal attack on Taylor Swift, expressing his “hatred” for her shortly after the pop superstar endorsed his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
In an all-caps post on his Truth Social social media account, Trump wrote: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”
Just after last week's Trump-Harris debate, Swift told her 284 million Instagram followers that she intended to vote for Harris, the current US vice president, “because she fights for rights and causes that I think need a champion.”
Trump, who has 7.71 million followers on Truth Social, initially dismissed Swift's endorsement of Harris, saying he was “not a fan of Taylor.”
Since then, however, with public opinion polls showing Harris gaining significant ground on Trump in what is expected to be a close presidential election on Nov. 5, the former president has stepped up his rhetoric against one of the most successful recording artists in history.
Swift's endorsement of Harris has generated more than 9 million likes on her Instagram post, fueling speculation that it could boost the Democrat's chances of winning the presidential election.
Following Trump's post, Harris' vice presidential running mate Tim Walz wrote on X: “Swifties: With your help, we're going to defeat the smallest man who ever lived.”
One of Swift's songs is titled “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
Trump's fury at Swift prompted a torrent of followers to proclaim on X: “I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT.” Others, however, came to Trump's defense by attacking the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump and Swift have been trading barbs for years.
After endorsing Democratic candidates in the 2018 election, Trump said in response to reporters' questions at the White House: “Let's just say I like Taylor's music 25% less now.”
