Every time Taylor Swift spoke out on political issues

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Taylor Swift is in her political age.

What started as a quiet stance on feminism has turned into a loud, unapologetic voice on everything from LGBTQ+ rights to voter registration. Today, she is both an advocate and a pop icon, using her platform to mobilize millions of people for causes she cares about.

Here’s a look at the “Cruel Summer” singer’s most notable political moves over the years.

Early 2010s: initial distance from politics

In the early days of her career, Swift stayed away from political talk.

As she explained in a Interview from 2012“I just think I’m a 22-year-old singer and I don’t know if people really want to hear my political views. I think they just want to hear me sing songs about breakups and feelings.”

But in 2014, she was ready to embrace at least one label and call herself a feminist in an interview with the Guardian.

“As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope that women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities,” the singer said. “What it seemed to me, the way it was worded in culture and society, was that you hate men. And now I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means. For so long it’s been that way It seems as if you are standing up to the opposite sex, while that is not the point at all.”

She continued: “Becoming friends with Lena (Dunham) – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I have taken a feminist position without actually saying so.”

2018: The political breakthrough

When the 2018 midterm elections arrived, Swift broke her political silence. She accepted Instagram Tennessee to endorse Democrats Phil Bredesen (for Senate) and Jim Cooper (for the House of Representatives) against that of her home state Republican Senator Marsha Blackbrand.

“In the past, I have been reluctant to express my political opinions publicly, but various events in my life and in the world over the past two years have made me feel very differently now,” Swift wrote. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe the systemic racism we continue to see in this country against people of color is terrifying, sickening, and pervasive. I cannot vote for someone who is unwilling to fight for the dignity of ALL Americans, regardless of their skin color, gender or who they love.”

Within 48 hours of the award-winning artist’s post, 169,000 people registered to voteaccording to Vote.org, which shows the “Taylor Swift Effect” in action for the first time.

2019: Rally for LGBTQ rights

In June 2019, Swift was in full action for LGBTQ rights. She wrote a letter to her senator urging support for the Equality Act, which would protect against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

She didn’t stop there and asked her fans to do the same, adding that she would keep track of their letters with the hashtag #lettertomysenator. The queen of pop also made one Change.org petition in support of the act, and asked her fan base to sign. “Let us show our pride by demanding that our laws at the national level truly treat all our citizens equally,” she wrote.

2020: The position against Trump

Swift took her political stance to a new level in 2020 when she openly condemned President Trump’s tweet Black lives matter protests.

Trump’s after read: “These criminals dishonor the memory of George Floydand I won’t let that happen. I just spoke to the governor Tim Walz and told him that the army is with him all the time. At any difficulty we take control, but when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

After fanning the flames of white supremacy and racism throughout your presidency, do you have the audacity to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 29, 2020

Shortly after Trump went to X (formerly Tweet), Quick posted“After fanning the flames of white supremacy and racism throughout your presidency, do you have the audacity to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.”

In 2020, Swift also released her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, in which she took fans behind the scenes of her 2018 decision to speak out against Blackburn — whom she called “Trump in a wig.”

2023: Encourage voter registration

Ahead of the 2024 election, the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer has gone all-in on voting rights. “Are you registered to vote yet?” Swift wrote on National Voting Day via Instagram in 2023. “I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you at my US shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you voices, and I know how powerful they are.” you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!”

According to Stem.orgher post led to 35,000 new voter registrations in one day and brought 157,041 eligible voters to the site. “On Tuesday, we saw a 1226% increase in participation the following hour Taylor Swift “Posted,” Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said at the time. “Our site averaged 13,000 users per 30 minutes – a number Taylor Swift would be proud of.”

2024: Support from Kamala Harris

In March 2024, Swift took to Instagram again to remind fans to show up for Super Tuesday. “Today, March 5, is the presidential primaries in Tennessee and sixteen other states and territories,” she wrote. “I wanted to remind you to put the people who most represent YOU in power. If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote today.”

Fast forward to September, speculation over whether the queen of pop would participate in the 2024 race finally came to an end when she shared an Instagram post in support of the Democratic Party‘s candidate for office, Kamala Harris. (Before Swift officially endorsed Harris, fans begged the musician to speak out against Trump — especially in the wake of his fake AI use of her image and amid close friends Brittany Mahomesapparent support of the Republican candidate.)

“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a fighter to defend,” her post began. “I think she is a steadfast, gifted leader and I believe we can achieve so much more in this country if we allow ourselves to be guided by calm and not chaos. I was so encouraged and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”

Swift signed the note, “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” and posted a photo of herself and her cat, Benjamin Button — an apparent reference to Trump’s running mate. J.D. Vance‘s comment about the fact that the Democrats “childless cat ladies who are miserable.”