Just a few weeks ago, Brittany Mahomes began thoroughly exposing herself as a Donald Trump supporter online. While she’s not wearing MAGA hats to Kansas City Chiefs games, she seemingly has no problem with Donald Trump publicly thanking her for “defending” him. Trump has also posted AI images of Taylor Swift “supporting” him, images which Taylor has not shut down in any way. Taylor has also been silent as “Swifties for Harris” Zoom fundraisers pop up. Some people, myself included, gave Taylor the benefit of the doubt. I will admit, it could be a tricky situation between Taylor and Brittany because of Travis and Patrick Mahomes’ work relationship and friendship. But Taylor is definitely leaving the impression that her white privilege is more important than standing up for marginalized people. Taylor is definitely leaving the impression that it’s fun to hang out with people who will vote for an adjudicated rapist who sent an armed mob to assassinate Democrats and overthrow the government. This is no longer about vibes. Well, Variety published an interesting column on Monday, just a day after Taylor and Brittany chummed it up at the US Open men’s final. From “If Taylor Swift Doesn’t Endorse Kamala Harris, She’d Be Entering a New Era:”

Taylor Swift’s fans and detractors would likely agree on one thing about her: There is little-to-nothing that the world’s most famous performer does without intention and forethought. This extends to her forays into political activity. She endorsed a Democratic candidate for senate in Tennessee in the 2018 midterms; framed the promotion of her album “Lover” around well-meaning if muddled pro-LGBTQ sentiments in 2019; and then endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020. The 2018 endorsement in particular marked a watershed for Swift — it was the first time she’d spoken directly about electoral politics. Netflix’s 2020 feature-length documentary about Swift, “Miss Americana,” hinges on this decision; in it, she tells her father, who’s opposed to her speaking out, “I need to be on the right side of history.”

Does she feel the same need today? While there is time to go before the Nov. 5 presidential election, Swift has remained silent thus far. Unusually protective of her likeness even by the standards of celebrity, Swift let Donald Trump’s use of A.I.-generated images falsely suggesting she endorsed him go by unremarked-upon; unusually willing to leverage high-profile friendships to show different sides of her, she’s chilling at the U.S. Open with Brittany Mahomes, whom Trump has thanked for her support.

Swift seems from one angle to have no more responsibility to speak out than any other high-profile person — perhaps she might argue she has a responsibility to remain silent. In her only public comments addressing the foiled plot to stage a terrorist attack on a planned concert in Vienna, Swift wrote on Instagram: “Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.” Her Eras Tour is to continue through December, after the election; it is not unreasonable to think that Swift speaking out on a highly contested race might come with some element of risk. (Indeed, that was one of the arguments put to her in favor of staying silent in her documentary.)

But one returns to the documentary, in fact, to see why the idea of Swift riding out the rest of the year in silence would feel, frankly, strange. Swift’s political action, in the past, came from what is evidently a place of deep passion; in “Miss Americana,” she weeps on camera describing the Republican Party’s agenda. But then — it’s happening on camera, in a film Swift agreed to appear in at an in-between moment in her career. Speaking out came with a risk — it was also, ultimately, good for the brand, at a moment that said brand was very much in flux. “Lover,” the album that contains the would-be gay-rights anthem “You Need to Calm Down,” was off of Swift’s creative peak as she sought to move beyond the pure pop extravaganzas of “1989” and “Reputation”; she has righted the ship, and then some, with more consistent material in recent years. Having gone from major artist to among the biggest acts in the history of recorded music, Swift simply has more at risk now.

And while it may yet happen — her 2020 endorsement was in early October — her signaling that silence is a preferable option, and her high-profile friendship with Mahomes, are at least suggestive, given how little Swift does by accident. Given, though, how much mileage Swift got in the past out of her decision to speak out on politics, the idea that she will remain silent would seem to make her past speaking out, at a more convenient moment, appear cynical. It’d be regrettable if her engagement with the world of politics were just another of her eras, and one from which she were willing to move on.

[From Variety]

Variety also mentions the very real terrorist plot to disrupt Taylor’s Vienna concert, and with that, the suggestion that Taylor likely believes it’s “safer” to stay politically neutral while she’s touring. But that’s just it – she’s not staying politically neutral. She’s choosing a side by being so visibly chummy with Brittany Mahomes.

I 100% agree with this: “The idea that she will remain silent would seem to make her past speaking out, at a more convenient moment, appear cynical.” That’s what gets me, the idea that Taylor had a two-year-long “political era” which she has now phased out because, what? Republicans buy her albums too? Because her boyfriend’s coworker’s wife is MAGA? To drop your political belief system in a few years – years in which Roe was overturned – does make your previous political statements appear cynical and contrived, like all of those political positions were a bit of convenient rebranding for the moment. We’re coming at this with the assumption that we know Taylor’s politics because she spoke out in 2018 and 2020. We’re coming at this with the assumption that she quietly and privately disagrees with Brittany Mahomes and Donald Trump. What if… she just doesn’t care? What if she’s done with her political era and now she’s in her MAGA football WAG era?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.