Earlier this week, the much-anticipated presidential debate between Kamala Harris, the vice-president, and the former president Donald Trump took place. But one of the most newsworthy events of the night occurred after the sparring concluded, when the pop-megastar Taylor Swift took to Instagram to endorse Harris. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote in her caption, under a photo of her holding a cat. “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
Swift’s reach was massive and immediate – fellow celebrities including WNBA breakout star Caitlin Clark and Jennifer Aniston liked the post, which amassed millions of likes in minutes. More than 300,000 new visitors went to vote.gov as a direct consequence of Swift’s post, an action she reinforced in her remarks at the VMA awards ceremony the following night: “If you’re over 18 please register to vote for something else that is important – the Presidential election.”
