A look at Taylor Swift's evolving political voice: From calling out Donald Trump to Equality Act petition

By Riya Peter
Published on : 02:53 PST, Jun 13, 2024

Taylor Swift has condemned President Donald Trump and his presidency multiple times (Getty Images)

Here's a look at Taylor Swift's political evolution

Taylor Swift became more vocal about her political viewpoints in 2018 (Getty Images)

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Taylor Swift remained silent about her political viewpoint until 2018 when she voiced her opposition to Republican Sen Marsha Balckburn's Senate run from Tennessee, her home state. Since then, the 'Lover' singer has been vocal on political matters, going as far as to criticize former president Donald Trump. Here is a look at the evolution of Swift's political voice.

1. March 2018: Taylor Swift shares post supporting 'March For Our Lives'

Taylor Swift donated to the 'March for Our Lives' movement following the 2018 Parkland High School schooling (@taylorswift/Instagram)

One of the first instances that highlighted Swift's political viewpoint was when she posted about gun violence and revealed her donation to victims and the "March For Our Lives" movement after the February 2018 mass shooting at the Parkland High School in Florida. In March 2018, the pop star took to Instagram to remind everyone that no one should go to a school, nightclub, concert, movie theater, or place of worship fearing gun violence. "I've made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform. I'm so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again," wrote Swift.

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2. October 2018: Taylor Swift's first official endorsement for political figures

Taylor Swift endorsed Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives and Phil Bredesen for the Senate in the 2018 US midterm election (@jimcoopertn/X, Phil Bredesen/Facebook)

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In October 2018, ahead of the midterm election, Swift announced her political endorsement. In a rather long Instagram post, the pop star revealed who she would vote for that November. She chose Phil Bredesen, the former Tennessee governor for Senate, and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives from her home state. "In the past, I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," wrote Swift, expressing her stances on the fight for LGBTQ rights, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender and systemic racism.

3. June 2019: Taylor Swift writes a letter to Tennessee Sen Lamar Alexander urging support for the Equality Act

In a 2019 letter, Taylor Swift urged then-Sen Lamar Alexander to support the Equality Act (Senator Lamar Alexander/Facebook)

Days after the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in May 2019, Swift initiated a change.org petition and wrote an open letter to then Senator from Tennessee Lamar Alexander to support the act. She even asked her millions of followers to do the same and said she would keep track of the letters using the hashtag #lettertomysenator. The petition was made on June 1, 2019, to kick off Pride Month celebrations.

4. August 23, 2019: Taylor Swift brands Donald Trump's presidency an 'autocracy'

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 05: U.S. President Donald Trump shushes journalists before signing the Paychec — Taylor Swift called Donald Trump's presidency an 'autocracy' in an interview (Getty Images)

Swift entered Trump's blacklist when she explicitly criticized his presidency in August 2019. In an interview with The Guardian, the 'Anti Hero' singer criticized his way of running the country, dubbing it an "autocracy." "We're a democracy — at least, we're supposed to be — where you're allowed to disagree, dissent, debate," said Swift. She also disclosed that her mother's illness and her feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West kept her silent during the 2016 election. Later, Swift affirmed she is "obviously pro-choice," and she would have supported Trump's 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, if she had been vocal back then.

5. August 26, 2019: Taylor Swift calls out the White House over its lack of response to the Equality Act petition

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 26: Taylor Swift attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential C — Taylor Swift criticized the White House's aloofness to the Equality Act petition during her 2019 VMA speech (Getty Images)

During her MTV VMA acceptance speech for 'You Need To Calm Down' on August 26, 2019, Swift criticized the White House's unresponsiveness toward the Equality Act petition she started. She stated that 'YNTCD' winning the Video of the Year indicated how much everyone wanted to live in an equal world where the law treated everyone equally regardless of whom they loved. Swift noted, "At the end of this video, there was a petition, and there still is a petition for the Equality Act, which basically just says we all deserve equal rights under the law," adding, "I want to thank everyone who signed that petition because it now has a half a million signatures, which is five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House."

6. January 2020: Taylor Swift explains her opposition to Tennessee Sen Marsha Blackburn in 'Miss Americana' documentary

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during Supreme Court Justice n — Taylor Swift was really upset when Sen Marsha Blackburn emerged victorious in the 2018 midterm elections (Getty Images)

In her Netflix documentary 'Miss Americana', Swift called out GOP Tennessee Sen Marsha Blackburn over her conservative viewpoints. The singer stated the congresswoman's policies under the pretext of "Tennessee Christian values" were not the values the people of the state stood for. In an interview with Variety, the pop icon revealed that she wrote the song 'Only The Young' to express her frustration after Blackburn's victory in 2018. She shared, "I wrote it after the [2018] midterm elections, when there were so many young people who rallied for their candidate, whether it was a senator or congressman or congresswoman…. I was really upset about Tennessee going the way that it did, obviously. And so I just wanted to write a song about it."

7. May 2020: Taylor Swift accuses Donald Trump of stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism

FORT WAYNE, IN - NOVEMBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally for Republica — Taylor Swift slammed Donald Trump over one of his tweets about George Floyd's killing (Getty Images)

Swift issued a warning to Trump after the then-president criticized those protesting the killing of George Floyd. In a tweet, which was later flagged for "glorifying violence," Trump wrote, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" Without wasting time, Swift lashed out at Trump on her X (formerly Twitter) account, writing, "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump."

8. March 2024: Taylor Swift urges everyone to vote on Super Tuesday

HERNDON, VA - MARCH 03: Voters fill in their ballots for the Democratic presidential primary electio — Taylor Swift reminded voters to cast their votes ahead of the 2024 Super Tuesday (Getty Images)

Ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday on March 5, the pop icon used her social media platform to urge everyone to cast their votes. Swift, who has 282 million followers on Instagram, took to her Stories to write, "I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven't already, make a plan to vote today." She also added a link to vote.org, where people can check their polling stations and hours.