Trump declares he 'hates' Taylor Swift

Republican nominee fumes over singer's Harris endorsement

The tweet came as a surprise, even from the provocative Donald Trump: "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" the former president said Sunday. Though the all-caps post came without accompanying commentary or explanation, the context was clear, as per AFP.

On Tuesday, just minutes after a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Republican Trump was widely seen as losing, the superstar singer/songwriter posted a message on Instagram saying she would be voting for his Democratic rival, calling Harris a "steady-handed, gifted leader."

Celebrity endorsements rarely carry enormous weight, but the hugely popular Swift is seen as being in a class of her own, with more than 100 million followers on social-media - 10 million of whom "liked" her Instagram post. "Going after Taylor Swift is a genuinely bad campaign strategy," said one poster on social media platform X. "Taylor doesn't get mad, she gets even."

It was not clear what Trump hoped to gain by attacking Swift, though he may calculate that any publicity is better than none. He has been criticised, even by fellow Republicans, for his recent association with conspiracy-minded right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who has at times joined him on his campaign plane.

The 31-year-old Loomer - who has called the September 11 terror attacks an "inside job" and said some recent mass shootings were staged by Democrats - recently suggested that Swift had entered an "arranged relationship" with football star Travis Kelce "to influence the 2024 election." There is no evidence to support any of those claims.

For years the Blank Space singer stayed out of politics, including in 2016 when Trump won the presidency. Speculation abounded that she was a closet Republican until 2018, when she endorsed the Democratic opponent of far-right politician Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee. Blackburn won anyway, but it ushered in a new chapter for Swift.

She later explained that handlers had urged her against voicing political opinions, telling her it could damage her career - particularly in the country music industry, which is often associated with conservatism. Since then, Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and has conveyed pro-LGBTQ messages through her songs and music videos. She also condemned the Supreme Court's reversal of the federal right to abortion and has encouraged her fans to register to vote.