Taylor Swift, the once apolitical superstar, has continued using her voice by firing back at Trump after his absurd comments about the Black Lives Matter protests.
Swift’s political debut was in 2018, when she broke her silence with an Instagram post that endorsed two Democratic candidates and revealed “I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for the dignity of ALL Americans, no matter the skin color, gender, or who they love.” She went on to explain that “so many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count.” Trump retorted by saying “I like her music 25% less now” and Taylor commented in her documentary Miss Americana that she doesn’t “give a fuck.”
It is now 2020, and it seems that Swift’s career hasn’t taken a dent as a result of her political stances, she has increasingly spoken up about politics, even in her music. From You Need To Calm Down a pop-confection that anthemically proclaims “shade never made anybody less gay” to the masterpiece which gave this documentary its title Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.
Set in a metaphorical high school with classic tropes like cheerleader chants “Go! Fight! Win!” the song details the disillusionment with romance, but most importantly politics. Lyrics like “American glory/faded before me,” “the whole school is rolling fake dice/you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes” and “boys will be boys, then/Where are the wise men?” capitalise on the adolescent American dream.
Swift’s recent song Only The Young, is another political statement that cannot be ignored. The song possesses the unique storytelling that Swift has and the pop confectionary of her current genre. It is clearly aimed at teenagers, the generation that seems to care more about the state of the world than those in government. She explains that “only the young can run” and that “the big bad man and his big bad clan…aren’t going to help us (they are) too busy helping themselves” urging today’s youth that “it’s just a matter of time/Up there’s the finish line/So run.” It also touches on school shootings, how “the wrong ones think they’re right” but that the youth are the future and “only the young can run.”
This week, she continued to raise her voice when Donald Trump posted this abominable tweet:
“…Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Of course, Twitter users everywhere were gobsmacked and had no shortage of excellent responses. The clapback that no one saw coming though, was Taylor Swift’s. The fiery statement “we will vote you out in November” was quite possibly the best finishing line. This tweet is now the 14th most liked tweet ever and boasts over 2 million likes, whilst Trump’s original tweet has been removed for breaking Twitter’s regulations.
After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 29, 2020
She has since tweeted about how “racial injustice has been ingrained deeply into local and state governments and changes MUST be made!” She also shared Barack Obama’s article which detailed the importance of protesting and voting, as well as urging everyone to vote.
Watching Taylor Swift continue to raise her political voice without shame has been a privilege to both the fans and even the once-upon-a-time haters. Hopefully she is right, and Trump is voted out in November.
In the meantime, give a listen to her most political song ever, Only The Young.
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