Fact Check: Will Taylor Swift Not Perform in U.S. If Trump Is Elected?

Taylor Swift has been under the watchful eye of politicos in recent months, as they await to see whether she will endorse President Joe Biden once again as he vies for a second term in the White House.

The pop icon's political views have long been a point of speculation, as the "Shake It Off" singer largely remained quiet about politics until 2018, when she endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee. She has also voiced support for the LGBTQ+ community and abortion rights.

She went on to endorse Democrat Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Solidifying her positions in the past, Swift publicly criticized Donald Trump during his presidency. Republican Trump and Biden are teed up to face off in November's election.

While Swift's views are not uncommon for a celebrity, her proven influence has heightened chatter. On September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer took to Instagram to share a message urging her fans to register on the nonpartisan, nonprofit Vote.org. According to the organization, Swift's post was followed by a surge of more than 35,000 registrations—an almost 25 percent increase over the same day the previous year.

Andrea Hailey, the CEO of Vote.org, said in a statement that the single-day surge in registrations was a "highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm," particularly as there was a 115 percent spike over 2022 in newly eligible 18-year-olds registering to vote.

Previous polling conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 18 percent of voters say they're "more likely" or "significantly more likely" to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.

In addition, 17 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a Swift-backed candidate, while 55 percent would be neither more nor less likely to do so. Of all the respondents, 45 percent said they were fans of the singer, and 54 percent said they were not. Only 6 percent said they were not familiar with Swift.

The Claim

With Swift's political views continuing to spark debate and speculation on social media, a claim was shared on X, formerly Twitter, about her current position on Trump.

"BREAKING: Taylor Swift says she will not perform in the United States if Donald Trump is elected in 2024," read a March 12 post from self-described pro-Trump X account @AZ_Beau. "What's your reaction?"

The post included a photo of Swift, who is on a break from her record-breaking Eras Tour, performing onstage.

In the time since its upload, the post has attracted a flood of derisive comments aimed at Swift, with a number of other Trump supporters expressing their glee at the prospect of the star no longer taking to the stage in the U.S.

As of press time, the post has garnered more than 1.5 million views.

The Facts

While the post about Swift went viral, it was subsequently given a Community Notes update. This community-driven feature allows contributors to leave comments on posts, such as fact-checking to help give context or opposing views.

Citing Reuters as a source, the update stated of the claim: "Taylor Swift has not stated this. She has not commented on the upcoming U.S. elections, apart from urging fans to vote during Super Tuesday."

March 5's Super Tuesday saw 15 states and one territory holding contests ahead of the presidential election, with Biden and Trump enjoying near sweeps in their respective parties.

As voters prepared to head the ballots, Swift took to Instagram that morning to urge her fans to participate in their states' primaries.

"I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power," the singer wrote in her bipartisan post. "If you haven't already, make a plan to vote today. Whether you're in Tennessee or somewhere else in the US, check your polling places and times at Vote.org."

Pennsylvania-born Swift made no mention of any candidates and has yet to publicly back one in this election cycle.

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Swift via email for comment.

The Ruling

False. While Swift has been publicly critical of Trump in the past, there is no record of her ever having made the comments recently attributed to her about not performing in the U.S. if he is reelected.

While Swift endorsed Biden in 2020, she has not made any public announcements about who she is backing in the current election cycle.

Due to her previous endorsement of Biden and political views, Swift has been the subject of a number of baseless claims from a faction of conservatives in recent months. These have included erroneous assertions that February's Super Bowl LVIII was rigged in favor of her boyfriend Travis Kelce's team, the Kansas City Chiefs. The win, conspiracy theorists claimed, was part of a purported plot to boost Biden's campaign. Biden himself mocked the claims after the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK