Taylor Swift to Donald Trump: We Will Vote You Out

June 01, 2020

Look what they made her do! Many have spoken out amidst national conversation about President Donald Trump’s recent tweets, among whom is an international pop star whose tweet may just influence the 2020 presidential election. 

 On Friday morning, Taylor Swift slammed President Trump on Twitter, admonishing him for his comments on the Minneapolis riots. Swift took to social media in response to the President’s tweet from Thursday which addressed the protests and riots that are spreading across the nation in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers.  Trump tweeted “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” and was met with much criticism for his comment which was an echo of the racially charged words used by Miami Police Chief Walter Headley in 1967. 

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

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 29, 2020

Taylor’s fanbase or “Swifties” as they are called, have a reputation of rallying behind the singer and her calls to action and Swift’s tweet, which criticized the President and his words, hit over a million likes in less than five hours and went on to become her most liked tweet ever. “We will vote you out in November,” Swift warned Trump, accusing him of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency.”

 This tweet also emphasizes the shift from the apolitical stance that Swift has taken for most of her career. In the initial stages of her career as a teenager, she refused to talk about politics saying that she was too young to want to influence anyone’s decisions and even remained silent during the 2016 election.

 The singer eventually came out as a Democrat in October 2018 and supported Democratic candidates in the Tennessee midterm elections. She explained this decision both in an Instagram post and her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana saying “I’m sad that I didn’t [speak out] two years ago, but I can’t change that.” She added, “I’m saying right now, that this is something that I know is right, and you guys, I need to be on the right side of history.”

Some criticized the singer for speaking out and lashed out at her for taking such a strong stance. 

The President did not threaten violence. You are falling for a Twitter fact check.

Also, Trump will win in November.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 29, 2020

Wake up sweetheart! The jig is over!

The masses are awake and your mask has been removed. My kids will never listen to your music again. There’s still time to redeem yourself and your soul. WWG1WGA

With love, from Australia

— Fiona Hitchens (@HitchensFiona) May 30, 2020

 However, evidenced by the numerous likes and retweets Swift received, the tweet resonated with a large audience, many of whom, such as Alyssa Milano and Ben Platt, took to social media to praise the singer for speaking up. 

Thank you for using your voice for good.

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 29, 2020