Calm Down, Internet: Taylor Swift Did Not Vote For Donald Trump [Debunked]
The internet really wants to believe that Taylor Swift voted for Donald Trump during last week’s U.S. election. The singer-songwriter has kept quiet about her political beliefs and who she was going to vote for, leading everyone to believe that she was quietly voting in Trump.
Keep in mind, Taylor Swift, 26, has never made it known whether if she’s a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or even a Libertarian. She never talked about politics or social issues. The only time she sort of addressed LGTBQ rights was on her 1989 track “Welcome To New York,” in which she sang about a place where you “can want who you want, boys and boys, and girls and girls.”
Back in 2012, Swift told TIME why she never speaks out about politics. Basically, Swift wants to be known for her music and who she dates, but not for who she supports.
“I follow [the election], and I try to keep myself as educated and informed as possible. But I don’t talk about politics because it might influence other people. And I don’t think that I know enough in life to be telling people to vote for.”
Swift was only 22 at the time. Now that she’s 26, it’s still unlikely that she will speak out about her vote. That hasn’t stopped the internet from making up stories about her supposed vote. According to the Huffington Post, a fake news site said that the singer cast her ballot for President-elect Donald Trump.
The news site included the headline, “Taylor Swift SHOCKS Music Industry: ‘I Voted For Trump.'”
Despite the fact that the outlet was clearly a fake news site, many of Swift’s fans assumed the information was accurate. It was even shared in multiple Facebook groups, as well as pages titled “Trump Friends” and “The Trump Party,” according to the Huffington Post report.
Also, in the fake article, Swift is quoted saying, “We need more and more jobs. Unemployment is way up here. He’s hired more employees, more people, than anyone I know in the world.”
That quote actually comes from civil rights activist Medgar Evers who passed away 50 years before Trump’s campaign began.
The article also includes her quote, “The line wrapped around the building, but I can honestly tell you that it was worth the wait. I felt like I really accomplished something special… I went with my gut instinct. I pressed the button. And I feel good about it!”
Although these are Swift’s words, she said them during her 2008 People magazine interview in which she talked about voting for the first time. She was obviously not talking about voting for Trump, and she didn’t even reveal who she was voting for at the time.
Along with the article was a photo of Swift wearing a “Make American Great Again Hat,” which has been circulating on social media, which people assume is real. The original photo, which was posted when her 1989 album was released, does not show the singer wearing a baseball cap. In fact, Swift has never worn a baseball cap, at least not in public.
Gizmodo fact-checked the fake news story and concluded that it was entirely fabricated. Gossip Cop has also debunked the report, stating that Swift never revealed who she voted for back in the 2008 presidential election, and has kept her recent ballot vote a secret as well.
That hasn’t stopped fans from wondering who Swift voted for. Some fans allege that she probably voted for Clinton. As reported on Racked, Swift’s Election Day outfit is something she may have meticulously planned after the 20th birthday party she threw singer Lorde the night before. Some assume that Swift told fans who she voted for with her cold-shoulder sweater.
Three days prior, Lena Dunham posted a photo of herself and Clinton wearing the same style of sweater with the phrase “Nasty Women” in the caption.
Taylor Swift’s Election Day photo certainly got folks talking. The thing is, the singer is going to keep her mouth shut about who she voted for.
[Featured Image by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]
