The mounting right-wing conspiracy theories circulating about superstar Taylor Swift are a “powder keg of stupidity,” according to former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who warned the claims could cost Republican votes in this year’s election.
Priebus, who served as chief of staff under former President Donald Trump’s administration, weighed in on some of the bizarre theories involving Swift amid her broadening political influence during a segment of ABC News’ This Week on Sunday.
Exclusive polling conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies and published in January found that 18 percent of voters say they are “more likely” or “significantly more likely” to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift. The singer’s influence has made her a lightning rod for right-wing criticism and conspiracies, which include that she promotes witchcraft and is a Pentagon “asset” who could use her popularity to persuade fans to vote for President Joe Biden in November.
Priebus, who also served as a former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair, said “two of the most popular things in America right now” are Swift and the National Football League (NFL), and attacking the two is a “powder keg of stupidity.”
“I don’t think attacking those two—Taylor Swift and the NFL—is obviously the way to go,” he said. “I think we ought to have a few things in America that we can agree on, and those are two things. Even if she does take a political position. She doesn’t like Trump. Fine. That’s not going to change I don’t think anyone’s votes in November. But what could change people’s votes is if you start coming up with these kinds of conspiracy theories.”
Over the past several years, Swift has become vastly more vocal about her political opinions, with the superstar endorsing Biden in the 2020 election and publicly criticizing Trump.
While Swift has had a devoted fanbase over her two decades in the music industry, she amassed an unparalleled level of celebrity in 2023. In December, her wildly popular Eras tour became the first to cross the billion-dollar mark and the singer was named Time magazine’s 2023 “Person of the Year.” Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also caused a spike in NFL viewership.
A recent survey from LendingTree published last month found that 13 percent of Americans polled said they were more interested in football due to Swift. The survey showed that among Generation Z and millennials, interest was even higher, at 24 and 20 percent, respectively. Altogether, 18 percent of Americans said they were rooting for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on February 11 because Swift is dating Kelce.
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The musician’s influence was displayed after she urged her Instagram followers to register to vote in September 2023, prompting more than 35,000 people to do so.
Swift’s star power has provoked the ire of right-wing critics leading up to the 2024 election, with numerous conspiracy theories surfacing about her.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday to representatives for Swift and Priebus for comment.
Last month, Fox News host Jesse Watters peddled the conspiracy theory that Swift is working for the United States Department of Defense.
Watters suggested that the superstar could be “a front for a covert political agenda” during a segment of his show. To try and explain how Swift has become such a success, he told viewers that “around four years ago, the Pentagon’s psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting.” The Pentagon denied that there was any truth to his assertion.
Another theory took aim at Swift’s relationship with Kelce.
After the Chiefs secured a spot in the Super Bowl at the end of January, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out of the primary election and endorsed Trump, floated a new theory about Swift on X, formerly Twitter.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months,” he wrote.
In November 2023 while on tour, the 12-time Grammy Award winner was faced with sorcery and witchcraft rumors, with critics accusing her of promoting witchery.
Kandiss Taylor, a former Republican Georgia gubernatorial candidate backed by Trump, criticized Swift in a social media post in October and accused her of “celebrating witchcraft” and having “some satanic nods” in her show.
“You’re influencing innocent minds to be enticed with the dark side of spirituality,” she posted on X.
Priebus warned Sunday that the conspiracy theories are helping fuel the division in the country, calling most of the claims an effort to get “clicks” on stories and social media posts.
“I think it’s popularity,” he said. “It’s the race to saying something outrageous to get people to listen to you. And it’s a big part of politics today. We live in a world where division is profit. Unity’s a loser. Social media algorithms are driving our country further apart.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.