A clip of a Texan Trump supporter named Gary Estes has gone viral after he purchased what was believed to be a Taylor Swift-autographed guitar for $4,000 at a local charity event auction and then performatively destroyed it with a hammer in front of everyone, as a "joke."
Although his actions conveyed a strong message, Estes later told NBC News that he has no grudges against Swift personally, saying, "There was nothing malicious or anything about it. It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? And that's all it was. There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it. It was just a joke that they were making up on the stage, and we just followed through with a joke."
Man smashes signed Taylor Swift guitar after buying it for $4,000 at auction. pic.twitter.com/1mzVv5yt4v
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 30, 2024
Auctioneer Craig Meier, a spokesperson for the Ellis County WildGame Dinner that donated its proceeds towards agricultural-based education efforts for local youths, said the guitar-smashing was "a funny, light-hearted thing."
"I know maybe it seemed to be malicious, but everybody was laughing," Meier said. "There were people there, at the time, who joked around that he's mad because he doesn't know how to play the guitar."
That being said, there was most definitely an underlying political message to Estes' actions at the auction that day.
"Taylor Swift, it became a political thing, and that was kind of the gist of it, just a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics," Meier added.
The billionaire pop star, who has been on the Eras Tour for two years, has been at the center of ire from Trump and the right-wing because of her liberal views and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Variety reported that Swift including a voter resignation link in her endorsement statement on Instagram following the Harris vs. Trump presidential debate attracted more than 400,000 people to the government's sight in one day.
The smashed guitar — which was never owned or played by Swift personally — was thought to be one of many items that the singer signs that are distributed to charitable causes to be purchased by people who are, usually, fans. But, in a twist, Variety revealed on Wednesday afternoon that that was not the case by any stretch.
Per the outlet's reporting, "the Ellis County WildGame Dinner presented the guitar with a signed CD insert but the guitar itself was not signed."
"At the end of the day, thank you, Taylor Swift," Meier said. "Whether he hung your guitar on the wall or whether he hit it with a hammer, it really doesn't make any difference. In the end of the day, the kids are the ones that are going to benefit from it. I don't care if he set it on fire [or] put it in a shrine in his house, he paid $4,000 for it."
