The vice presidential candidate called the singer’s endorsement of him and Kamala Harris “eloquent” and “clear”
Tim Walz is “grateful” for Taylor Swift’s support ahead of the 2024 election.
Shortly after the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the Minnesota governor, 60, appeared on MSNBC for the network’s post-debate coverage, where he reacted to Swift’s endorsement of him and Harris, 59.
“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner — a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear,” Walz told host Rachel Maddow, adding, “And that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up.”
“We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC, we’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there cause they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy,” the politician continued. “And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift, coming out and making that very clear.”
He then gave a shoutout to Swift’s fan base, stating, “This will be the opportunity, Swifties — KamalaHarris.com — get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.”
BREAKING: Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president.
Tim Walz reacts to the news LIVE on MSNBC pic.twitter.com/wACc6WzQ3k
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 11, 2024
Swift, 34, announced her support for Harris moments after the presidential hopeful wrapped her first debate with Trump, 78, on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” the singer began the caption on an Instagram post alongside a photo of herself holding a cat. “If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”
Then referencing fake A.I. images that falsely showed her endorsing Trump — which the former president previously shared on his social media platform, Truth Social — Swift continued, “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,” she then said, noting, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
The Grammy winner then shouted out all the reasons why she is backing Harris, explaining that she “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
“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,” Swift continued. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my 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,” she added.
Swift then signed the statement from a “Childless Cat Lady,” a reference to the 2021 comments made by Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.
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Swift previously threw her support behind President Joe Biden and Harris during the 2020 election season. The endorsement marked the first time she had publicly backed a presidential candidate.
The “Karma” musician announced her support Biden, 81, at the time by posting her cover for V Magazine’s Thought Leaders issue on Instagram with the caption, “I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president.”
The post, which was shared in October 2020, landed on the same day as the debate between Harris and then-Vice President Mike Pence. Swift wrote that she was “gonna be watching and supporting @kamalaharris by yelling at the tv a lot.”
In her 2019 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift’s decision to come forward about her political views after keeping them private for most of her career was documented.
In one scene, the singer-songwriter tearfully pushed for approval to explicitly express her stances to an all-male board meeting, which included her father, Scott Swift.
Source people.com
