Donald Trump has shared doctored images suggesting that Taylor Swift and her fans are backing his presidential campaign, trying to harness the singer’s star power for the upcoming election.
Swift, who has not yet endorsed any candidate for the November 5 election, previously supported President Joe Biden in 2020 and has been critical of Trump.
On Sunday, Trump posted manipulated images on his social media platform, Truth Social. These included an AI-generated image of Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit urging her fans to vote for Trump and photos of women in “Swifties for Trump” shirts. Digital forensics expert Hany Farid from the University of California, Berkeley, noted that these images seemed to be either AI-generated or heavily altered.
Swift has not commented on Trump’s post, which also included a video claiming that “Swifties” were rallying for Trump. This claim was met with backlash from Swift’s fans, who have called for her to take legal action.
Swift’s influence is significant, as demonstrated by her previous voter registration drives. When she encouraged her fans to register last fall, it led to over 35,000 new registrations, marking a significant increase from the previous year.
While Swift has kept her political leanings private, she has previously endorsed Democratic candidates and advocated for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Speculation continues about whether she will endorse Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, with a fan group called “Swifties for Kamala” gaining traction on social media.
The spread of AI-driven political misinformation has raised concerns about its potential impact on voters, with campaign group Accountable Tech warning of its growing risks. “No one is immune to AI’s harms, not even Taylor Swift,” they said.
