Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president

• Taylor Swift is officially backing Kamala Harris for president.
• Swift's fans were long fired up, with some forming a grassroots group supporting Harris.
• She made her announcement shortly after Harris' debate with Trump ended.

It's officially a "Love Story" between Taylor Swift and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The superstar singer endorsed Harris for president on Tuesday night, minutes after the end of the debate between the vice president and former President Donald Trump.

"I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," Swift wrote on Instagram. "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 signed her post with her name above the words "Childless Cat Lady." This was likely a jab at the GOP vice-presidential nominee JD Vance's now infamous comment on childless people.

When asked about the endorsement in an interview with MSNBC, Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, said: "I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner, a fellow cat owner."

Walz added: "That was eloquent, and it was clear, and that's the type of courage we need in America to stand up."

Shortly after Swift's endorsement, Trump popped up for a surprise appearance in the debate spin room.

When questioned about Swift's Harris endorsement, Trump said he had "no idea" about it.

Even before the endorsement, Swift's fans were fired up. A grassroots group dubbed Swifties for Kamala — with over 60,000 followers on X — had formed to mobilize support for the Democratic ticket, complete with friendship-bracelet activism.

In 2020, Swift endorsed Joe Biden and accused Trump of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency."

She did not make any public statements about the 2016 election but began speaking up about politics in 2018 . Her disdain for Marsha Blackburn, who later won her Tennessee US Senate election, led Swift to get more vocal about her views. In her documentary "Miss Americana," Swift's father, Scott, expressed fears over Swift's safety if she spoke out about the election, but she pressed on anyway.

In August, Trump posted AI-generated images of Swift urging people to vote for him on Truth Social.

Swift referenced the AI images in her lengthy endorsement message.

"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she wrote. "It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

The superstar's endorsement came as some of her fans questioned her closeness to Brittany Mahomes , the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift has become close to the Mahomeses since she began dating the Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Brittany Mahomes recently liked a post on Trump's Instagram account and was praised by him.

When Fox Business asked Trump about legal risks related to the AI Swift posts, he said the images were " made up by other people " and called artificial intelligence "very dangerous."

Many Democrats had been champing at the bit for a Swift endorsement given her unique cultural sway and loyal fandom.

There was also some buzz that she might appear at the Democratic National Convention in August, which ultimately didn't happen.

Other celebrities backing Harris and Walz include Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, The Chicks, John Legend, and Charli XCX.