Music superstar Taylor Swift has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
The singer made the endorsement shortly after the presidential debate with Republican rival Donald Trump ended on Tuesday.
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post.
“As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”
After watching the debate, Swift urged her fans to do their research on “the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most”.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election.
“She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
She criticised AI-generated images shared by Mr Trump which suggested she endorsed his campaign for president.
Swift said: “It really conjured up my fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.
“The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
She included a picture of herself holding a cat and signed the message “Childless Cat Lady,” a reference to comments made by JD Vance, Mr Trump’s running mate.
A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not co-ordinated with the campaign.
Tim Walz, Ms Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As presenter Rachel Maddow read the text, Mr Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.
“That was eloquent. And it was clear,” Walz said. “And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”
The Trump campaign dismissed the singer’s endorsement.
“This is further evidence that the Democrat Party has unfortunately become a party of the wealthy elites,” said spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
“There’s many Swifties for Trump out there in America.”
Mr Trump said on Wednesday that Swift’s move “was just a question of time”.
He told Fox & Friends that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price in the marketplace”.
Swift’s endorsement was not exactly a surprise. In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
