Taylor Swift at the center of conspiracy theories before the US presidential election

Taylor Swift is the subject of the craziest conspiracy theories on social media. Presenter Jesse Watters of the favorite channel of American conservatives, Fox News, took up on the air this week wild theories - first published on social networks by right-wing commentators - insinuating that the superstar would work for the government of Joe Biden, admitting at the same time that he had “obviously no proof”.

“Have you ever wondered why Taylor Swift is everywhere? "Four years ago, the Pentagon's psychological operations unit brought up the idea of ​​using it as a resource at a NATO conference," said Jesse Watters, showing footage of a NATO summit. US agency on cybersecurity and disinformation dating from 2019.

But the video shows no connection between the singer and the Pentagon or any other government agency. It is actually a presentation by a researcher who has no affiliation with NATO, and cites Taylor Swift as a simple example of influential personalities on the internet.

Jesse Watters also mentioned on the air the peak in attendance of the Vote.org platform after a publication on Instagram by the singer inviting her approximately 270 million subscribers to register on the electoral lists, a sign according to him that “ someone” would have influenced her from the White House.

Contacted by AFP, Taylor Swift's press secretary referred to a message posted Tuesday on X by Andrea Hailey, president of Vote.org. “Our collaboration with Taylor Swift exists to help all Americans get to the polls,” explains Andrea Hailey. This is in no way a Pentagon operation.” Fox News declined to comment further to AFP. This targeting of conspiracy theorists on the singer is only likely to increase as the elections approach, experts believe.

At the height of his popularity and crowned personality of the year by Time magazine, the 34-year-old artist broke all records with his “Eras Tour” in 2023, his private life also being the subject of all attention , especially since the start of her highly publicized relationship with American football star Travis Kelce. Personal attacks followed. Far-right commentators accuse her of performing black magic at her concerts and conservative figure Charlie Kirk even wonders on his podcast if “she is still fertile”.

“Not only is Swift, by her OWN ADMISSION, a satanic witch, she is also a TOOL OF THE PENTAGON to influence the vote of THOUSANDS of young voters,” an account promoting QAnon conspiracy theories recently posted about X. For Swapnil Rai, a professor at the University of Michigan, "the discourse is excessively gendered because it is much easier to attach these kinds of bizarre theories to a woman."

In December, far-right commentator Laura Loomer also described the 2024 presidential election as a face-off between “MAGA and Swifties”, thus pitting Trumpists against fans of the singer. If Taylor Swift is not a pawn of the Pentagon, her electoral support is nonetheless at the heart of all the desires before the election. “No one has more clout 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 of having “fanned the flames of white supremacism and racism throughout (his) mandate”. In the past, the artist has campaigned for LGBT rights and opposed the Supreme Court's decision to remove 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. Before concluding: “Accusing him of being a pawn of the state is a dishonest effort to undermine the artist’s potential future support for Joe Biden.”