Taylor Swift's influence and popularity has reached heights that politicians can only dream of, but could her endorsement save a president's troubled re-election campaign in crisis?
President Joe Biden has suffered a major fallout in the aftermath of his debate performance last month. There's a growing chorus of prominent Democrats calling on him to step aside, and even some of his allies have begun publicly questioning the 81-year-old's ability to serve another term.
Among the friends lost is George Clooney. The A-list actor, who just last month hosted a massive, star-studded fundraiser for Biden, delivered a blow to the president Wednesday after he wrote an op-ed for The New York Times calling for him to be replaced with a new nominee.
"It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote.
But could other celebrities, like Swift, reinvigorate both Biden's campaign and the party's donors?
Many have been closely watching the superstar to see if she'll weigh in on November's election. Swift, an icon and economy herself, has become one of the most influential people in America, if not the world, and experts predict her power could translate into politics.
Semafor reported Monday that a new memo—being circulated to wealthy Democratic Party donors, members of the administration and Biden's campaign—suggests that Swift and other stars help with a "blitz primary" to replace Biden as the nominee. The primary proposal, which comes from a former policy advisor to Biden's 2020 campaign and a wealthy Democratic Party donor, suggests that names like Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama moderate weekly forums with potential Democratic candidates after Biden steps down, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, some have already fallen for fake endorsements from Swift, who supported Biden in 2020 but has not commented on the 2024 election. Earlier this week, GOP Senate candidate Royce White posted a doctored image of Swift backing the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign on X, formerly Twitter, writing, "Are people really that gullible? Wow! The healing process of sex transitions? #Godspeed."
But polling conducted exclusively for Newsweek shows little movement for Swift. A July poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek found that 48 percent of voters would be neither more nor less likely to vote for a candidate in an election if Swift endorsed them. A quarter of respondents said a Swift endorsement would actually make them less likely to vote for a candidate, while just 20 percent said they'd be more likely to vote for a Swift-backed candidate.
Gen-Z voters are the most likely to be swayed by a Swift endorsement. Thirty percent say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by the singer.
Americans also seem divided on whether it's a good idea for Swift to weigh in on the election. Nearly 30 percent said they would approve if Swift declared support for a presidential candidate, while 25 percent said they would disapprove.
The poll was conducted on Tuesday among 1,500 adults. It has a margin of error of +/-2.53 percent.
Swift's endorsement record has been mixed. Swift endorsed two Democratic candidates for Congress in Tennessee in 2018 as part of her opposition to Republican Marsha Blackburn's Senate campaign. Blackburn went on to win her race, defeating Swift-backed Phil Bredesen with more than 54 percent of the vote. Swift's other candidate, Jim Cooper, won his House race. Biden, who Swift endorsed in 2020, also won the last presidential election.
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About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
