As her popularity reaches new heights in the United States, singer Taylor Swift is the subject of the craziest conspiracy theories on social media. The latest: She would be a Pentagon pawn, recruited by the Democratic Party to influence the results of the 2024 presidential election.
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On television this week, host Jesse Watters of American conservatives' favorite channel, Fox News, seized on wild theories first put forward by right-wing commentators on social media, insinuating that the international star was – and was – working for Joe Biden's administration At the same time, he “obviously had no evidence” for this.
“Have you ever wondered why Taylor Swift is everywhere? “Four years ago, the Pentagon's psychological operations division floated the idea of using it as a resource at a NATO conference,” Jesse Watters said, showing footage of a NATO summit. US Cybersecurity and Disinformation Agency from 2019.
However, the video shows no connection between the singer and the Pentagon or any other government agency. This is actually a presentation by a researcher with no NATO affiliation who uses Taylor Swift as a simple example of internet influencers.
Jesse Watters also mentioned on the show the peak in visitor numbers on the Vote.org platform, after the singer published a publication on Instagram in which she asked her approximately 270 million subscribers To on the voting lists, a sign that ” someone” influenced him from the White House.
Taylor Swift's press secretary contacted by AFP referred to a message posted on X by Andrea Hailey, president of Vote.org, on Tuesday.
“Our collaboration with Taylor Swift is to help all Americans vote,” says Andrea Hailey. “This is in no way a Pentagon operation.”
Fox News declined further comment to AFP.
Experts believe that conspiracy theorists' targeting of the singer will only increase as the elections approach.
At the height of his popularity and named Personality of the Year by Time Magazine, the 34-year-old artist broke all records with his “Eras Tour” in 2023, with his personal life also being the focus of everyone's attention, especially since the beginning of their highly publicized relationship with American football star Travis Kelce.
Personal attacks followed. Right-wing commentators accuse her of performing black magic at her concerts, and conservative Charlie Kirk even wonders in his podcast whether “she is still fertile.”
“Swift is not only a satanic witch of her OWN OWN ENTRY, she is also a TOOL OF THE PENTAGON to influence the vote of THOUSANDS of young voters,” an account promoting QAnon conspiracy theories about X recently posted.
For Swapnil Rai, a professor at the University of Michigan, “the discourse is overly gendered because it is much easier to attribute such bizarre theories to a woman.”
In December, far-right commentator Laura Loomer also described the 2024 presidential election as a clash between “MAGA and Swifties,” pitting Trumpists against the singer's admirers.
While Taylor Swift isn't a Pentagon pawn, her electoral support is at the heart of everyone's pre-election desires.
“Nobody has more influence on electoral support than Swift,” said David Jackson, a professor at Bowling Green State University.
Taylor Swift, who has been discreet about her political beliefs, openly supported Joe Biden against Donald Trump in 2020, accusing the Republican of “fanning the flames of white racism and racism throughout his term in office.”
In the past, the artist has advocated for the rights of LGBT+ people and opposed the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the constitutional guarantee of the right to abortion.
The Republican Party is “concerned about its ability to revive young people’s interest in the electoral process,” said Johanna Blakley of the University of Southern California.
“Accusing him of being a pawn of the state is a dishonest attempt to undermine the artist’s potential future support for Joe Biden,” she concludes.