Subscribe
Subscribe

Taylor Swift regrets not speaking out against Trump in 2016

By Caitlin Yilek

Pop star Taylor Swift lamented not speaking out against President Trump in the last presidential election.

Swift, 30, publicly commented on politics for the first time ahead of the 2018 midterm elections with her endorsement of Democrat Phil Bredesen, who ran for the Senate in Tennessee.

Recommended Stories

In the forthcoming Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, Swift discusses with her family and public relations staff the backlash that could follow her endorsement. Swift is told that her support of Bredesen could be seen as a condemnation of the president.

“I don’t care if they write that. I’m sad I didn’t say it two years ago,” Swift said, according to the Daily Beast.

“I want to be on the right side of history,” she said.

Her publicist also warned her that Trump could attack her, to which Swift replied, “F—k that. I don’t care.”

Swift endorsed Bredesen, who lost the race, and criticized his Republican opponent Sen. Marsha Blackburn, for voting against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and her lack of support for same-sex marriage.

View this post on Instagram

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. 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. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! ???

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

“I can’t see another commercial [with] her disguising these policies behind the words ‘Tennessee Christian values.’ I live in Tennessee. I am Christian. That’s not what we stand for,” Swift said in the documentary, also calling Blackburn “Trump in a wig.”

Swift recalled the backlash to the Dixie Chicks’s decision to criticize President George W. Bush in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as the reason why she didn’t speak about politics.

Related Content

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

NEWS

POLICY

COMMENTARY

RESTORING AMERICA