The Taylor Swift Conspiracy: Allegedly Recruited by the Pentagon to Influence the Outcome of US Elections

While her popularity reaches new heights in the United States, singer Taylor Swift has become the subject of conspiracy theories circulating on social media.

The latest one suggests that the American artist is a pawn of the Pentagon, recruited by the Democratic Party to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential elections. Jesse Watters, a presenter on the favorite conservative American TV channel, Fox News, reiterated several theories this week, insinuating that the pop star works for the Joe Biden government but admitted at the same time that he had “obviously no evidence” to support those claims.

“Have you ever wondered why Taylor Swift is everywhere? Four years ago, the Psychological Operations Unit of the Pentagon discussed the idea of using her as a resource at a NATO conference,” said Jesse Watters, showing images from a 2019 summit on American agency cybersecurity and disinformation.

Jesse Watters also mentioned in the same show the sudden increase in traffic on the Vote.org platform after a message posted on Instagram by the singer inviting her approximately 270 million fans to register to vote, a sign, in his opinion, that “someone” influenced her from the White House.

Contacted by AFP, Taylor Swift’s press agent referred to a message posted on the X social network by Andrea Hailey, the president of Vote.org, on Tuesday. “Our collaboration with Taylor Swift exists to help all Americans go to the polls,” explained Andrea Hailey. “This is by no means a Pentagon operation,” she added.

At the peak of her popularity and designated Person of the Year 2023 by Time magazine, the 34-year-old artist broke all records with her “Eras Tour” last year. Her private life has also been the subject of special attention, especially since the beginning of her highly publicized relationship with American football star Travis Kelce.

Personal attacks followed. Far-right commentators accused Taylor Swift of practicing black magic during her concerts, and Charlie Kirk, a conservative personality, wondered in his podcast if the pop artist “is still fertile.” For Swapnil Rai, a professor at the University of Michigan, “the discourse is excessively sexist, as it is much easier to attach such bizarre theories to a woman.”

If Taylor Swift is not a pawn of the Pentagon, her electoral support is still at the center of attention in the lead-up to the elections. “No one has more influence in terms of electoral support than Swift,” said David Jackson, a professor at Bowling Green State University.

Taylor Swift, discreet about her political beliefs, openly supported Joe Biden against Donald Trump in 2020, accusing the Republican politician of “fueling the flames of white supremacy and racism throughout his term.”

In the past, the artist has advocated for the rights of LGBT+ individuals and expressed her opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the constitutional guarantee of the right to abortion. The Republican Party “is concerned about her ability to revitalize young people’s interest in the electoral process,” said Johanna Blakley of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.