Trump claims Taylor Swift endorsed him by reposting AI image
Did Taylor Swift really endorse Trump for president? Donald Trump reposted a post about artificial intelligence during his re-election campaign for the White House.
Cheddar
A Taylor Swift song to soundtrack Donald Trump’s latest political controversy? Alexa, play “Don’t Blame Me.”
In an interview with Fox News published Wednesday, the former president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate addressed his recent social media posts that allegedly included artificial intelligence-generated images of Swift in support of his campaign.
When asked by Fox Business correspondent Grady Trimble if he was “concerned” that the pop superstar might take legal action against him, Trump claimed he knew nothing about the origin of the images posted on Truth Social over the weekend.
“I don’t know anything about it except that someone else created them. I didn’t create them,” Trump said, but did not name the creator of the images. “They were all made up by other people.”
Trump said AI was “always very dangerous in this regard,” citing his own experiences with AI imitations.
“That happens to me too,” he said. “They let me talk about AI – I speak perfectly, absolutely perfectly – and I advertise other products and things.”
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Swifties for Trump is a huge movement that is growing every day,” adding: “While Kamala Harris is guilty as sin for all the suffering she has caused every American.”
USA TODAY has reached out to a representative of the Trump campaign for comment.
Artificial intelligence-generated images of Trump have previously circulated on social media, including fake photos showing the former president being arrested by police, attending a barbecue with black supporters and leading a crowd down a street lined with American flags.
Read more: Donald Trump releases fake Taylor Swift ad and Swifties for Trump AI images
Donald Trump shares fake Taylor Swift ad on social media
On Sunday, Trump posted several images on Truth Social, allegedly created using artificial intelligence, in which he alluded to the support of Taylor Swift and the Swifties for his campaign, even though the singer has expressed her disdain for the Republican candidate in the past.
“Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump,” read one generated image of Swift as Uncle Sam, while another, seemingly artificially generated image labeled as satire, read, “Swifties turn to Trump after ISIS foils Taylor Swift’s concert.” The latter image referenced a suspected terrorist attack planned for Swift’s concert in Vienna earlier this month. Austrian authorities foiled the alleged attack with help from U.S. authorities.
The images included a mix of real and AI images, including Swifties for Trump supporters, similar to the real-life group MAGA Swifties.
Pop stars and politics: Trump campaign removes video after reports of cease and desist from Beyoncé
What are Taylor Swift’s political views?
The “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” singer has not endorsed any candidate for the 2024 presidential election, but she did provide insight into her political beliefs in her 2020 Netflix documentary “Miss Americana.”
When Swift’s press secretary Tree Paine spoke about her support of U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen (D-Tennessee) in the 2018 midterm elections, she warned that Trump might come after her. Swift joked, “I don’t care. If I get bad press for saying, ‘Don’t put a homophobic racist in office,’ I’m going to get bad press for that.”
The conversation culminated in Swift’s October 7, 2018, Instagram post warning her fans not to vote for Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee). (Blackburn was ultimately elected to the U.S. Senate.)
“In the past, I have been reticent to publicly express my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world over the past two years, I now feel very differently. I have always cast my vote based on, and will always do so, whichever candidate protects and fights for the human rights we are all entitled to in this country,” her caption read.
Swift wrote that she “cannot support Marsha Blackburn” because “her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies[her].”
After listing Blackburn’s stances on issues such as women’s safety and LGBTQ+ rights, Swift wrote, “These are not MY Tennessee values.”
Contributors: Taijuan Moorman, Joedy McCreary and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
