Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president

On the heels of Tuesday night's presidential debate, Taylor Swift announced she is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

"Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven't already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most," Swift wrote in an Instagram post. "As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country."

Swift said she would be voting for Harris "because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them."

"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," she said.

Swift also said she was "so heartened and impressed" by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being chosen as Harris' running mate, adding that he "has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades."

Swift criticized former President Donald Trump for recently sharing an AI-generated image -- which falsely claimed Swift was supporting him for president -- on social media, saying it had "conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation."

"It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," she said. "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

"I've done my research, and I've made my choice," she wrote. "Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make."

Swift concluded her post by encouraging fans to register to vote and to vote early if they can, saying she would share links in her Instagram story on how to do so.

She signed off her post with her name and "Childless Cat Lady" -- a callback to a 2021 comment from Sen. JD Vance, in which he smeared Harris and other Democrats for not having biological children, and a reference to her owning three cats.

Swift had long been expected to endorse Harris. The once publicly apolitical singer became more vocal about her views in recent years and endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020.

She also came out strongly against Trump in 2020, accusing him of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism" and putting "millions of Americans' lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power."

And Swift's political seal of approval could prove powerful. After she made Instagram posts in 2018 and 2023 encouraging fans to register to vote, tens of thousands of people did just that.

Shortly after news of Swift's endorsement broke, Walz told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow he was “incredibly grateful” for her endorsement.

“I say that also as a cat owner -- a fellow cat owner,” Walz added.