Taylor Swift drives lakhs to Vote.gov with Harris endorsement; campaign sells friendship bracelets
Following Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris, Vote.gov saw 337,826 visitors. The Harris-Walz campaign responded with friendship bracelets.
Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency sent lakhs of users rushing to Vote.gov, just as political pundits had expected, given her immense influence ahead of the upcoming election. Swift’s support not only drove a surge in voter registration but also sparked a quick response from the Harris-Walz campaign, which began selling friendship bracelets inspired by the pop star just one hour after her post.
Taylor Swift’s Harris endorsement sends lakhs to vote
On Wednesday, just a day after Taylor Swift publicly backed Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, her endorsement drove a staggering 337,826 users to visit Vote.gov, according to NBC.
The General Services Administration, which manages the website alongside the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, confirmed to NBC News that by 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday a sudden surge of people was witnessed on the custom URL Swift shared on Instagram as part of her endorsement of Harris.
Also read: Harris-Trump debate tv viewership explodes, blowing Biden’s numbers with huge margin
Swift on Tuesday, right after Harris-Trump wrapped up their big debate night on ABC with a panel of hosts and media, the Cruel Summer singer took to her Instagram and penned a lengthy note showing her support for ‘warrior’ Kamala Harris. In her post, which is signed off as ‘Childless Cat Lady’ taking a swipe at Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s derogatory remarks against Harris and other female politicians without kids, the singer posted a custom voting URL which directs users to vote.gov.
Vote.gov is a dedicated platform designed to help visitors register to vote in their respective states. It also provides a comprehensive guide to voting rights, explains election procedures, and answers frequently asked questions, offering users a clear path to participating in the democratic process.
Harris-Walz team sells friendship bracelets
Right after Taylor Swift gave her big shoutout, the Harris-Walz team didn't waste any time. They hopped on the chance, launching friendship bracelets inspired by the singer.
“Are you ready for it? Harris-Walz friendship bracelets are here,” the Instagram post went live soon after referring to the song from Swift's 2017 reputation album.
JD Vance, Trump, and Musk hit back at Swift after Harris's endorsement
Swift faced backlash from Republicans after publicly endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket for the upcoming presidential election. Her Instagram post, where she also called out Trump and the misuse of AI, has garnered over 9.6 million likes and counting.
Also read: Trump blasts Harris as ‘Marxist,’ as she struggles to keep her cool with smile: ‘Her father is a…’
However, the endorsement didn’t sit well with Trump supporters, including the candidate himself, who were hoping for her backing. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, brushed off Swift's critique of his past remarks and downplayed the impact of her influence in politics. “I don’t think most Americans — whether they like her music, are fans of hers or not — are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity, who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans,” he said.
“I was not a Taylor Swift fan,” Trump said on Fox & Friends. “It was just a question of time … she’s a very liberal person, she seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” he said calling out the support. In the same interview, he even praised Swift’s friend and NFL star Patrick Mahomes wife Britanny calling her a big MAGA fan.
Tesla owner and Republican supporter Elon Musk faced backlash from Swifties after his tweet was deemed "sexist." Responding to her endorsement and the "Cat Lady" remark, Musk wrote, “Fine, Taylor… you win… I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”
“Am I reading this right that you are offering to have a child with Taylor Swift,” a person commented. “How can a person go so low,” said another. “This creepy and weird guy omg,” a third chimed in.