Former President Donald Trump has some opinions about pop star Taylor Swift, questioning whether her liberal stance is genuine or just a facade.
These remarks are part of an upcoming book, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, by author Ramin Setoodeh. Trump describes Swift as “beautiful” but expresses discontent with her political leanings.
He said:
“I think she’s beautiful — very beautiful! I find her very beautiful. I think she’s liberal."
"She probably doesn’t like Trump. I hear she’s very talented. I think she’s very beautiful, actually — unusually beautiful!”
However, Trump’s admiration for Swift’s appearance does not extend to her political views. He told Setoodeh that he is not well-acquainted with her music and expressed surprise at her political alignment.
He said:
"She is liberal, or is that just an act? She’s legitimately liberal? It’s not an act? It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal.”
Swift has been openly critical of Trump, notably calling him out in 2020 for “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism” throughout his presidency and endorsing then-candidate Joe Biden.
Nor is Swift, who began her career in country music before transitioning to mainstream pop, alone in her political stance. Several country artists, including Maren Morris, Willie Nelson, The Chicks, Kacey Musgraves, and Jason Isbell, have also voiced opposition to Trump over the years.
And while Trump claims unfamiliarity with Swift’s music, a video posted on Instagram by his wife Melania shows him and his son Barron listening to Swift's hit "Blank Space," indicating that some members of his family do enjoy her songs.
Trump's comments noticeably weirded people out and exposed him to online mockery.
Trump previously claimed he made Swift "so much money" by signing the Music Modernization Act in 2018, which updates copyright law "to make statutory licensing more fair for creators and more efficient for digital music providers," according to the U.S. Copyright Office.
Earlier, Trump targeted Swift and speculated about her potential endorsement of President Biden in the upcoming presidential election. In characteristically self-promoting fashion, Trump claimed credit for Swift's financial success, citing his involvement in passing the legislation.
Trump argued that Swift should acknowledge his contribution and labeled supporting Biden as "disloyal."
Of course, considering Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and Roe v Wade has since been overturned by Trump's packed conservative court, it is widely expected that Swift will in fact once again endorse Biden.