Swifties raise $40k in wake of Trump post hating on star
An organization of Taylor Swift fans said Monday they raised more than $40,000 for the Kamala Harris campaign following Donald Trump's post that he hates the pop megastar.
The Republican hopeful fired a Sunday morning missive on Truth Social saying "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!", which the "Swifties for Kamala" organization capitalized on to raise money for his Democratic rival.
"As soon as we saw the post, we knew this was an opportunity. Our team was ready to go with lyric response ideas and ways to tie in our calls to donate and volunteer," said Carly Long, a member of the group's communications team, in a statement.
"We use the memes to catch people's attention, and then tell them how to turn that emotion into action. Swifties know that haters gonna hate, but we also know we can do more than just shake, shake, shake."
The superfans stumping for Kamala Harris are not formally affiliated with the artist who unites them.
They say they've now raised more than $207,000 since kicking off their fundraising and outreach efforts less than two months ago.
A few weeks ago they held an inaugural fundraising call that was joined by 27,000 viewers, and featured appearances from stars like Carole King along with Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Ed Markey.
Since then Swift herself has endorsed Harris and her running mate Tim Walz over Donald Trump, calling the Democrat and current vice president a "steady-handed, gifted leader."
"I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," Swift posted in the minutes following the Harris-Trump debate last week.
In addition to fundraising and phone banking, the Swifties For Kamala outfit says they are planning additional outreach efforts particularly in swing states and at remaining dates of the blockbuster Eras Tour, which is currently on break.
It's scheduled to pick back up in Miami on October 18.
Irene Kim, a Swifties For Kamala cofounder, said in a statement that the group is "proof of the power Swifties have."
"We're building off our existing fandom culture to make voting and politics accessible."
© Agence France-Presse