Donald Trump And Taylor Swift: From Fan To Hater.
The ongoing, one–sided feud between Taylor Swift and Donald Trump has been building for years, with the US president taking every opportunity to comment on her career, personal life, and political beliefs, often in ways that feel more like the posts of a bitter ex than a world leader.
What Happened?
Trump recently sparked backlash when he claimed that Taylor Swift is "no longer hot," adding another chapter to his ongoing history of making unprovoked comments about her. The remark came just months after he tweeted, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!," in September 2024, shortly after she endorsed Kamala Harris. It's unclear whether Trump meant "hot" in terms of cultural relevance or physical appearance, and either way, it came off as a petty, sexist dig.
Believe It Or Not – Trump Was A Swiftie Once Upon A Time
Trump wasn't always a Taylor hater. Quite the opposite: Back in 2012, he tweeted, "Thanks for the beautiful picture, you are fantastic," and called her "terrific" for co–hosting the Grammy Nominations special. He even kept up with her dating life, tweeting, "Taylor and Conor, great news for Taylor," during her brief relationship with Conor Kennedy, which makes it seem like he was more invested in her personal life than you'd expect.
Glad to hear that @taylorswift13 will be co-hosting the Grammy nominations special on 12.5. Taylor is terrific!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
But things changed in 2018, when Taylor broke her political silence to endorse Democrat Phil Bredesen over Trump–backed Marsha Blackburn. Trump responded by telling reporters, "Let's just say I like Taylor Swift's music about 25% less now, okay?"
Since then, he's taken several shots at her, including a weird 2023 comment about her relationship with Travis Kelce and a bizarre claim that his song "Justice for All", recorded with men arrested for their role in the January 6 Capitol riots, "beat" her on the charts. In 2024, he took things even further by posting an AI–generated image falsely claiming, "Taylor Swift wants you to vote for Donald Trump," and bluntly tweeting, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!," after she endorsed Kamala Harris. There's even a video of him driving with Melania and Barron while Blank Space plays in the background, which makes it hard to deny that he was at least a casual fan at some point.
Donald Trump shares AI-generated images of Taylor Swift and her fans, falsely implying her endorsement. pic.twitter.com/OkaCuQtULb
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 19, 2024
Reactions
Fans on social media were quick to call Trump a narcissist for thinking that Taylor's recent low profile had anything to do with him. Swifties know that Taylor has always taken breaks from the spotlight, usually because she's working on something and people doubt she cares about what Trump thinks of her.
The American Federation of Musicians also released a statement defending Taylor's right to free speech and criticizing Trump's attempts to undermine her influence.
Despite Trump's claims, Taylor remains one of the most successful artists of all time, with ten studio albums, over 300 awards, including 14 Grammys, 40 American Music Awards, and 49 Billboard Music Awards, one of the highest–grossing tours of all time with The Eras Tour, billions of streams as one of the most–played artists on Spotify, and a massive social media following with over 275 million followers on Instagram and millions more on TikTok and Twitter.
What This Feud Tells Us About Trump
It's troubling when a politician, especially one who holds the most powerful office in the world, openly tries to undermine the free speech of a public figure. Trump's repeated attacks on Taylor Swift, including his use of AI–generated images to falsely suggest she supports him, show that he's willing to cross ethical lines to control the narrative.
It's also just strange that a president has so much time to comment on the dating life and career of a 35–year–old pop star who rarely talks about him. Since 2018, Trump has acted like a bitter ex–fan, throwing public tantrums whenever Taylor criticizes him or supports his political opponents. He also called her "unusually beautiful" in 2024, three months before posting "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" which people found weird and obsessive.
What do you think about this?