Undoubtedly Taylor Swift has far-reaching power, even into politics. Photo: Reuters
Alyssa Farah Griffin – The View co-host and former White House communications director for Donald Trump – wants to Make America Swift in 2024.
During the latest episode of The View: Behind The Table, Griffin and executive producer Brian Teta, who hosts the podcast, discussed the public's obsession with Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce.
The conversation eventually segued into politics, and Griffin – who admitted she'd blasted Swift's Karma track on the car ride over – suggested the Anti-Hero hit-maker run against Griffin's former boss.
"This ends in one way; we are all Taylor Swift fans, and to be honest, if Donald Trump looks like he's gonna win, she's just gonna need to get in the race and defeat him once and for all, because she's probably the only person who can!" Griffin jested.
Griffin, 34, served as the White House communications director during Trump's presidency but resigned in December 2020, concluding, despite Trump's insistence otherwise, that he'd lost the election. After the storming of the Capitol on Jan 6, she disavowed Trump for "crossing a line" by telling his followers the election was stolen.
Griffin isn't wrong about Swift's far-reaching power and influence. On National Voter Registration Day (Sept 19) in the US, the Grammy winner issued a call to action via her Instagram, which encouraged her 272 million followers to register to vote.
"I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently. I've heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are," she wrote on her Instagram stories. "Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!"
Her since-expired Instagram story included a link to register at Vote.org.
The nonprofit group shared that it had registered more than 35,000 new voters, a nearly 25% increase over the same day last year.
The organisation also noted a 115% surge in 18-year-olds registering to vote. Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, told NPR it was a "highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm," particularly among young, newly eligible voters.
"Time and time again young people are showing up and demonstrating they care about their rights and access to the ballot box."
Although it's impossible to calculate how many registrations came as a direct result of Swift's post, Vote.org reported a 1,226% spike in participation in the hour after Swift's story went live.
Voter turnout for younger adults ages 18 to 29 in the 2020 midterm elections was the second highest in nearly three decades, according to a study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
The study also noted that the younger voters leaned Democratic over Republican by a 28-point margin.
Emerson College also recently released findings – from the school's August 2023 national poll – which included a hypothetical Swift candidacy as a third party on the ballot. Voters favoured Trump at 42%, Biden scored 39% of the votes, and Swift pulled 8%. Ten percent were undecided.
Swift was found to be viewed favourably by 43% of voters, while 38% were neutral, and 19% had an unfavourable view of the You Need to Calm Down singer.
"The Swift test suggests that Biden's support is softer than Trump's, whose support is more locked in," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. "Biden is more vulnerable to third-party options like (Green Party candidate Cornel) West, who appears to appeal more to Biden's voter base than Trump's." – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
