Taylor Swift is the subject of the wildest conspiracy theories on social media. Anchor Jesse Watters of America's favorite conservative channel, Fox News, this week repeated outlandish theories — first posted on social media by right-wing commentators — insinuating that the superstar would work for Joe Biden's administration, admitting at the same time that he "obviously has no evidence."
"Have you ever wondered why Taylor Swift is everywhere? Four years ago, the Pentagon's psychological operations unit raised the idea of using it as a resource at a NATO conference," Watters said, pointing to footage of a 2019 cybersecurity and disinformation summit.
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 with no affiliation with NATO, and citing Taylor Swift as a simple example of influential personalities on the internet.
Jesse Watters also mentioned the spike in traffic on the platform Vote.org after the singer posted on Instagram inviting her 270 million followers to register to vote, a sign that he said "someone" had influenced her from the White House.
Contacted by AFP, Taylor Swift's press secretary referred to a message posted on Tuesday on X by Andrea Hailey, president of Vote.org. "Our collaboration with Taylor Swift exists to help all Americans get to the polls," says Andrea Hailey. This is not a Pentagon operation at all." Fox News declined to comment further to AFP. The targeting of the singer by conspiracy theorists is only likely to increase as the election approaches, experts say.
Disturbing popularity
At the height of his popularity and crowned Time magazine's Person of the Year, the 34-year-old artist broke all records with his "Eras Tour" in 2023, with his private life also receiving all the attention, especially since the start of his high-profile relationship with American football star Travis Kelce. Personal attacks followed. Far-right commentators accuse her of doing black magic at her concerts, and conservative figure Charlie Kirk even wonders on his podcast if "she's still fertile."
"Not only is Swift a satanic witch by her OWN ADMISSION, she is also a PENTAGON TOOL 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 excessively gendered because it's much easier to attach these kinds of bizarre theories to a woman."
'MAGA' vs. 'Swifties'
In December, far-right commentator Laura Loomer also described the 2024 presidential election as a face-off between "MAGA and Swifties," 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 voter support than Swift," said David Jackson, a professor at Bowling Green State University.
Taylor Swift, who is by nature 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 (her) tenure". In the past, the artist has campaigned for the rights of LGBT+ people and opposed the Supreme Court's decision to remove the constitutional guarantee of the right to abortion. The Republican Party "is worried about its ability to rekindle young people's interest in the electoral process," said Johanna Blakley of the University of Southern California. "To accuse him of being a pawn of the state is a dishonest effort to undermine a potential future supporter of the artist for Joe Biden."