As speculation continues to mount as to whether Taylor Swift will formally endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, country singer John Rich has weighed in.
Over the years, Swift has proved herself to be a political force. In an Instagram post on September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer urged her fans to register on the website Vote.org. The organization claims that after Swift’s post, over 35,000 people registered, which is over a 25 percent rise from the same day the year before.
As Vice President Kamala Harris’ showdown with former President Donald Trump dominates the news cycle, experts told Newsweek that Swift is likely delaying her public endorsement of Harris to ensure maximum impact at the polls this November.
Now Rich, a vocal supporter of Trump, has shared his thoughts on Swift’s political impact.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Rich and Swift for comment on Friday.
“I can’t wait for Taylor Swift to tell me how to vote,” the country singer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. At the time of writing, his post had been viewed over 425,000 times.
People’s responses to the country singer’s post were divided, with one person writing: “If she does this, she will lose a lot of popularity.”
“I wonder if she realizes that a big percentage of the people that purchase her tickets and music are conservative parents…the people that listen to her opinions can’t even vote yet,” said another.
“We can’t wait either! Trump is going to lose his effing mind!!” a third person wrote.
A fourth added: “You literally do the same thing.”
While Swift is yet to endorse any candidate ahead of November’s election, it is believed her voice is so influential that it could sway thousands to vote in line with her. During the 2020 election cycle, the pop superstar endorsed President Joe Biden and Harris and she has been critical of Trump in the past.
In May 2020, after Trump suggested that police brutality protestors in Minneapolis could be shot, Swift accused him of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency in a post to her X account.
Her endorsement for Biden/Harris during the last presidential election was posted on October 7, 2020, the same day that Harris faced former Vice President Mike Pence for a debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This isn’t the first time this week that Rich has shared his political thoughts on X. On Wednesday Rich claimed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would endorse Trump for president as soon as Friday.
“Supporters of Trump and RFK (respectively) have one main thing in common…they want to see the Govt held to account for their assaults on The People. An RFK endorsement of DJT would be an epic boost to this election. I’m hearing possibly on Friday? Hang on to your hats:),” Rich posted on X.
According to recent polls, Kennedy Jr. dropping out of the presidential race could hurt Harris’ chances of beating Trump in the election. Harris has gained ground against Trump in recent weeks and polls suggest a close race in the crucial swing states will determine the outcome of the presidential race.
During a podcast interview on Tuesday his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, indicated Kennedy Jr. could leave the race amid concerns his candidacy creates a disadvantage for Trump.
Shanahan said the pair could “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”
Following Shanahan’s comments, Harris’ chances of victory in November fell from 4/5 (55.6 percent) on Tuesday to 10/11 (52.4 percent) on Wednesday, bookmakers Bet365 and William Hill showed. Over the same period, the vice president’s odds of victory with bookmaker Betfair went from 4/5 (55.6 percent) to 5/6 (54.5 percent).
