Tim Walz said he is “grateful” that pop phenomenon Taylor Swift has endorsed his and Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Shortly after Harris finished her first debate with Donald Trump in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the 14-time Grammy Award winner revealed she will be circling Harris' name on her ballot later this year.
“I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she's fighting for rights and causes that I believe we need warriors to defend,” Swift, 34, said. On Instagram.
The endorsement was welcome news to Waltz, who praised the singer's “courage” in speaking out.
“First of all, I'm incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift, and I say that as a cat owner, as a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and clear,” Waltz said. He told MSNBC “What America needs is the courage to stand up,” host Rachel Maddow said.
“We've seen Republicans at the Democratic National Convention and women who want to keep their private lives private have been forced to go out because they were unable to get abortions during their pregnancies and almost died,” he continued.
“And now we have someone like Taylor Swift coming along and really demonstrating that.”
The Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, 60, also thanked the “Fortnite” singer for her massive fan base, adding, “This is an opportunity, Swifties (KamalaHarris.com) please get involved, lend a hand and get things moving.”
In 2020, Swift endorsed President Joe Biden and Ms Harris' campaign.
The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker, who is fresh off the European leg of her Erasus Tour, said she was “very encouraged and impressed” by Harris, 59, choosing Waltz as her running mate.
Swift praised Waltz for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and women's rights over their own bodies for decades.”
The pop star said she did her “research” for the songs she chose, and urged Swifties to do the same.
Swift said she was inspired to run for president in 2024 after artificial intelligence created a fake image of her supporting a Republican candidate.
“I've come to the conclusion that as a voter, I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election. The easiest way to combat misinformation is to tell the truth.”
The singer ended her post with a tongue-in-cheek message: “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, the childfree cat lady.”
The lengthy caption was accompanied by a photo of her cuddling her cat, Benjamin Button, taken for Time magazine's Person of the Year feature in December.
The photo choice is believed to be a subtle allusion to backlash over comments made by 2021 Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, in which he called Democratic women “childless catwomen who are miserable in their lives.”
