It might seem logical for the president to turn to the pop-star billionaire who endorsed him in 2020 and whose every move is constantly documented by US media, especially as Joe Biden’s poll numbers start to decline ahead of next year’s election.
“Please do not tell us that we need a Taylor Swift strategy. We are tracking,” quips a recent job posting for his 2024 reelection campaign.
Perhaps none more than Biden, whose approval rating, according to survey firm Gallup, just fell to 39%, the lowest of any US president at this point in their term. Additionally, this marks Biden’s fifth dip below 40% in ratings only this year.
Swift is scrutinized in politics despite her support for Biden in 2020 and her skill in registering her “Swiftie” superfans to vote through nonpartisan campaigns.
Polarized Phase of American Politics
The “You Belong With Me” singer’s prior apolitical position came under growing criticism as America slid into hyperpartisanship, even if the fervor was primarily fueled by rumors and social media.
“These aren’t your dad’s Republicans,” In a 2020 documentary, she states that team members are pressuring her to avoid getting involved in politics before the 2018 election because they fear it will “halve the number of people that come to your next tour.”
Still, she emerged from the woods to support the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Tennessee, a state won by the Republican supported by Donald Trump.
Swifties to report at the voting bloc?
Her supporters are primarily young women who represent a significant Democratic voting bloc and who have grown up in America’s divisive political climate.
However, Biden’s popularity has declined among young people in the nation, particularly in light of his administration’s steadfast support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas.
Swift, on the other hand, recently went to a benefit event to collect money for Palestinian relief efforts. Since Hamas militants broke through Gaza’s border and murdered 1,140 civilians, 20,000 Palestinians have perished in the fighting.
“I don’t think the way these work is that when people see, oh, Taylor Swift endorsed Joe Biden, and they say, ‘Well, that’s who I’m going to vote for,'” Matthew Harris, a political science professor at Park University mentioned in conversation with AFP.
“It’s more along the lines of her ability to mobilize people, to encourage people to register to vote,” he added, “these are people who may already be predisposed, or likely to vote, for Joe Biden.”
On the hindsight
Swift, who is usually reserved, has already subtly acknowledged Biden’s 2024 campaign by permitting the use of her song “Only The Young” in an October advertisement.
Swift and Biden don’t appear to be at odds, but if the president could recall the name of the country’s most well-known musician, his pleas to young Americans might have a greater chance of being accepted.
