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Taylor Swift Supports Kamala Harris After Presidential Debate

Pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president Tuesday night after a tense debate with former President Donald Trump, calling the Democratic nominee a “steadfast, talented leader.”

“I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 election,” Swift said in an Instagram post to her more than 283 million followers. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes that I believe need a warrior to defend. I think she’s a determined, talented leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country when we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so encouraged and humbled by her choice of running mate @timwalz, who has been advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to control her own body for decades.”

“I’ve done my research and I’ve made my choice,” the Grammy-winning artist added. “Your research is entirely yours to do and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first-time voters, remember that you have to be registered to vote! I also find it much easier to vote early. I’ll link in my story where you can register and where you can find the dates and information for early voting.”

Swift, 34, captioned her post “Childless Cat Lady” — a reference to language Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, used to describe women who don’t have children. Swift included a photo of herself with her cat, Benjamin Button, who appeared with the singer on the cover of Time Magazine.

Swift’s endorsement came as a surprise to Harris’ campaign, two campaign officials told NBC News. The campaign sees the singer’s endorsement as part of a “decisive victory” for the vice president and is touting her ability to garner support, one of the officials said.

The endorsement was widely expected. Swift supported President Joe Biden and Harris during the 2020 presidential election.

Swift once shied away from meddling in American politics. But she became more vocal with the release of her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana.” The film chronicled her behind-the-scenes battle to publicly denounce Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., then a member of the House of Representatives. She supported Blackburn’s Senate opponent, Phil Bredesen.

Ultimately, Blackburn won the race, but Swift’s Instagram post encouraging people to register to vote energized waves of young people, Vote.org said at the time.

A November NBC News national poll found that 40% of registered voters had a positive view of Swift, while 16% had a negative view of her. A majority of Democrats (53%) viewed her favorably, while 28% of Republicans said the same.

In the Instagram post, Swift also criticized social media users who circulated images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that falsely claimed she had supported the Trump-Vance candidate.

“It was recently brought to my attention that AI of ‘me’ that falsely endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had been posted on his site. It really raised my fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said. “It made me realize that I need to be very transparent about my real plans for this election as a voter. The easiest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.