Taylor Swift’s seemingly limitless fame, fueled by her new relationship with Super Bowl tight end Travis Kelce, has sparked conspiracy theories about how the world’s biggest pop star could influence the 2024 presidential election.
Among the theories, mostly peddled by the right wing, are claims that Swift and Kelce’s romance was psyop-produced by the government to boost ratings for the NFL or to garner a bigger fanbase before his endorsement for President Biden.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” Vivek Ramaswamy, a failed Republican presidential candidate and Trump supporter, posted on social media Monday after the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to the championship for the fourth time in five years.
“And I wonder if there’s going to be a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially supported couple this fall,” he added.
Taylor Swift is endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 election. AP Some conservatives believe Swift and Kelce are in a relationship designed for NFL ratings. Getty Images
Donald Trump spokesman Mike Crispi claimed after the Kansas City Chiefs won Sunday that the NFL was “tricked” in a nefarious effort to spread “Democratic propaganda” to the public.
“Everyone who thinks Taylor Swift *won’t* parachute into the Stadium at the Super Bowl, straight off the jet from her Japan tour…Is an absolute GUY,” he posted on X.
“Taylor is coming. He, nor the NFL gave up the money,” he continued. “He supports Biden. It’s rigged. You are the pawn.”
Swift has also been called out by Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba, conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec and other conservative pundits like Laura Loomer and Charlie Kirk.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce started dating last year. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Swift has been a big part of Super Bowl team culture since she and Kelce started dating. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Kirk claimed in November that Swift would “come out for the presidential election” on the issue of abortion: “All Swifties want is immediate abortion,” he said.
The “Shake it Off” singer has been on pundits’ radar since September when she urged her 280 million Instagram followers to register to vote – leading to a jump of nearly 35,000 registrations.
The pop star has since become a millionaire, thanks to record-breaking ticket sales for her global Eras Tour, and was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in December.
Since Swift began dating Kelce last year, her frequent appearances on camera during Chiefs games have angered some of the NFL’s big conservative fans who feel it distracts from the game.
Kelce also faced criticism after he endorsed Pfizer’s COVID vaccine, sparking a war of words with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers — who called Kelce “Mr. Pfizer.”
Kelce also appeared in a commercial for Bud Light following his ill-fated partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Some critics have complained that the NFL spends too much camera time on Swift during games. AP Swift became a millionaire after selling out her Eras tour. SARAH YENESEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Swift’s appearance has had a real impact on NFL merchandise sales, with about 16% of US shoppers admitting the pop star influenced them to spend money on football ahead of the Super Bowl, according to a recent survey.
Gen Z is the most likely to say Swift influenced their soccer-related card charges, LendingTree reports, with 39% of 11- to 26-year-olds in that generation admitting that Swift convinced them to make a soccer purchase.
Swift has largely avoided politics but caught the attention of then-president Donald Trump in 2018 when she endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen against Republican Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee, where Swift owns two homes.
“I’m sure Taylor Swift has nothing or knows nothing about him,” Trump said in response at the time. “And let’s say I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent now, OK?”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (left) said she could not comment on the Swift-Biden team for the election. AP Swift and Kelce have drawn ire from conservatives since the pair became an item. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post
Swift ended up endorsing President Biden in the 2020 election.
Donald Trump’s campaign staff is reportedly discussing strategy for Swift’s possible endorsement of Biden in the upcoming election, sources close to the former president told Rolling Stone.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday she could not answer when asked about Swift working with Biden for the incumbent’s 2024 presidential campaign, citing federal law.
“As you know, there’s something called the Hatch Act, so I certainly can’t speak to anything related to 2024 in the next election,” Jean-Pierre told CNN’s John Berman in response to rumors that Biden may make an appearance on Swift’s Eras Tour.
He clearly did not deny the whispers.
The Hatch Act of 1939 prohibited executive branch employees from using “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the results of an election.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
