Bill Maher thinks Taylor Swift could swing the upcoming 2024 election, so far-right pundits should tread carefully.
Maher shared his opinion during a panel discussion with sports commentator Bob Costas and social critic Caitlin Flanagan on his show on Friday. During the discussion, Maher admitted he hesitated to discuss Swift as a “national news story” but relented.
“This is a national news story in the sense that this is a person who could literally swing the election,” Maher said. “I don’t know what that says about this country, but I would just say to the MAGA people, ‘You should be very careful attacking her because this is someone who transcends parties.'”
Maher continued to describe Swift’s career, noting her undeniable sway with her fan base.
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“I’m just saying, this is somebody you could really get in trouble with as far as attacking for MAGA because Trump’s people, they’re already registered and voting for him,” Maher said. “Her voters perhaps are not registered at all, and she doesn’t have to say who she’s voting for. All she has to say is get registered. They know who she’s voting for.”
Maher continued: “So I think you could be waking a sleeping-until-the-afternoon giant.”
Costas agreed that Swift influences voter turnout, not necessarily voters’ choices.
Some Republican media pundits have ridiculed Swift in recent months as the 2024 presidential campaign ramps up. Far-right media personalities Charlie Kirk and Jack Posobiec both suggested that Swift’s connection to young voters could pose a problem for Republicans.
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“Taylor Swift is going to come out in the presidential election and she is going to mobilize her fans,” Kirk said on his radio show in November. “And we’re going to be like, ‘Oh wow, where did all these young female voters come from?’ We better have a plan for that.”
Swift’s potential influence on the election has caused a proliferation of conspiracy theories around her. In one, Swift is a Pentagon asset. In another, Swift will endorse Biden during the Super Bowl halftime show. That one was promoted by the now-former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Although Swift publicly endorsed Biden in 2020, she’s yet to publicly confirm her support for 2024.
