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Vance responds after Swift calls out his 'childless cat ladies' comment in Harris endorsement
By Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY,
2 hours ago
Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance speaks at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. September 5, 2024. Go Nakamura, REUTERS
Former President Donald Trump's running mate appeared on Fox News on Wednesday and gave his thoughts on the "Bad Blood" singer backing Harris in an Instagram post she shared following Tuesday's presidential debate on ABC .
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of her and her cat. “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.”
While speaking with Fox News's Martha MacCallum, Vance said, "We admire Taylor Swift's music but I don't think most Americans, whether they like her music or are fans of her or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity."
Vance went on to say that Swift is not aware of the "interests and the problems of most Americans."
Swift is not the first or only female celebrity that Vance has angered as Jennifer Aniston , Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin and comedian Chelsea Handler have all commented on the vice presidential nominee's "childless cat lady" comment.
Taylor Swift did not endorse Donald Trump
In Swift's Instagram post, she made it clear that she never endorsed Trump and that an AI version of herself was posted on the former president's platform, Truth Social.
"Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site," Swift wrote in the post. "It really 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. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."
In addition to explaining why she is casting her vote for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, including the candidates' stances on LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and "a woman’s right to her own body," Swift said she has "done her research" and made her choice.
"Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story," Swift wrote in the post.
Less than a day after posting, Swift's post had more than 9.4 million likes, ranging from Chrissy Teigen and Selena Gomez to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Olympic soccer midfielder Rose Lavelle.
When Trump was in the spin room following the debate, he told reporters he had "no idea" when asked about Swift's endorsement of Harris.
Contributing: Anika Reed, Bryan West, Rachel Barber and Michael Collins/ USA TODAY
She had that planned just like the damn ABC coached Harris prior to the debate. I used to respect Taylor. I think her endorsement has a lot to do eith he man friend endorsing the risky vaccine.
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