Taylor Swift has a very high profile fan in Gabriel Boric, the former student protest leader who this week was named Chile's next President after winning the runoff vote against far-right candidate José Antonio Kast.
At 35, Boric is the youngest President-Elect in Chile's history. He also happens to be a fan of Taylor Swift.
A photo of Boric wearing Swift’s merch alongside a tweet of his declaring #IFeelSwiftie began to circulate online after he won the election.
He's even identified his favorite Swift album as Folklore, which was released to significant acclaim earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FUN FACT: The Swiftie candidate for the presidency of Chile, @gabrielboric has won the elections! \n\nHe shares that he discovered @TaylorSwift13 during the pandemic and that his favorite album is "Folklore."pic.twitter.com/683H746hhK— The Swift Society (@The Swift Society) 1639958746
Fans of the singer were happy to count the Chilean President-elect among their fellow Swifties.
Congratulations on his win poured in from all over the world.
BREAKING: Chile has entered her "Reputation" erahttps://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1472719839118733315\u00a0\u2026— Saint Hoax (@Saint Hoax) 1640029757
Chile's new national religion: Taylorism.\nBook of Reputation, Chapter 4, Verse 3:\nLord, save me, my drug is my baby— #LetLeniLead2022 (@#LetLeniLead2022) 1639977610
Swifties dominating the world just like our queen, we love to see it!pic.twitter.com/Pvuwkh48Rm— Benedickt (@Benedickt) 1627620363
Wishing all the luck in the world today to Gabriel Boric. The progressive, Taylor Swift loving, tree climbing, metal loving candidate for president of Chile https://twitter.com/gabrielboric/status/1472557700860895239\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/Wg1Ptm1TtX— \ud83e\udd8c\ud83c\udf88Buckley\ud83c\udf39\ud83c\udf08 (@\ud83e\udd8c\ud83c\udf88Buckley\ud83c\udf39\ud83c\udf08) 1639945048
Swifties taking over the world one country at a time— ryen \ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3 (@ryen \ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3\ud83e\udde3) 1639959771
Ending 2021 with a crush on the president of Chile wasn't on the bingo card.https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1472719839118733315\u00a0\u2026— Josh Fitz (@Josh Fitz) 1640129446
Oh, to have a leftist millennial folklore swiftie president.https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1472719839118733315\u00a0\u2026— Joana (@Joana) 1640185801
imagine if bernie was a swiftie who became president when he was 30. that's what chile just got. i am incredibly jealous and incredibly happy for themhttps://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1472719839118733315\u00a0\u2026— \u20e4\ud83c\udf84rissmas (@\u20e4\ud83c\udf84rissmas) 1640010067
Chileans are happy for the political project and the vision of society that @gabrielboric embodies. The Taylor thing is a funny anecdote that we also love— \u00c1lvaro Daniel \ud83c\udf33 (@\u00c1lvaro Daniel \ud83c\udf33) 1640094104
Boric, a former student protest leader with the political collective Izquierda Autónoma and the Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile (FECH), ran a campaign that included proposals to cancel student debt, strengthen environmental protections and raise taxes on the rich.
In 2014, he was sworn in as as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, sitting on the Commissions for Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples; Extreme Zones and the Chilean Antarctic; and Labour and Social Security and later the Commissions for Extreme Zones and the Chilean Antarctic; and Constitution, Legislation, Justice and Regulation.
Boric has been outspoken in his criticisms of neoliberal policies and has rejected the legacy of his country's dictatorship under Augosto Pinochet, who persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, and was responsible for scores of human rights violations, including forced disappearances and executions.
He won the election with 55.85% of the vote and his inauguration is slated for March 11, 2022.
Even during a highly polarized election, Boric found time to make his love for Taylor Swift known on the campaign trail, at one point pulling out a small photo of Swift and showing it to the camera when asked by Swift's fans if he identified as a fellow "Swiftie."
