How Taylor Swift snubbed Kamala Harris on the campaign trail

Taylor Swift sent Donald Trump into one of his Truth Social meltdowns after she endorsed Kamala Harris on the night of Sept at once following the Democratic presidential candidate s commanding performance over the GOP contender at their one and only debate But that s as far as Swift would go in lending her global fame and influence to Harris campaign unlike other A-listers Beyonce Lady Gaga Oprah Winfrey or Bruce Springsteen were all eager to participate in the campaign s efforts to enlist as a multitude of celebrities as feasible to give speeches or to entertain on behalf of the former vice president A new book looks at why Harris staff failed to get Swift to show up on the campaign trail despite weeks of rumors and speculation that she would make an appearance even on the eve of the ballot Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at a campaign event Wednesday Oct in Madison Wis AP Photo Morry Gash The authors journalists Josh Dawsey Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf disclosed that staffers who worked on celebrity appearances were instructed not to make any outreach to Swift Instead that job would be left to Harris husband Doug Emhoff He was put in charge of the Swift outreach because he had an in in the pop singer s unit Before Harris became vice president Emhoff had had a lucrative career as an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles the authors wrote according to the Daily Mail He and Swift s lawyer Doug Baldridge were both partners at the firm Venable Emhoff reached out to Baldridge to convey that the campaign would appreciate any efforts the pop star could make to help Harris the authors wrote But then came a brutal seven-word reply which would turn out to be a rejection the Daily Mail commented Swift would do what Swift thought best Baldridge commented FILE Beyonce appears at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston on Oct AP Photo Susan Walsh File Up to that point the Harris campaign had reason to hope that Swift would do more Following Harris debate performance the singer surprised the campaign with a full-throated endorsement posted on her Instagram the authors wrote She memorably shared a photo of her with one of her three cats and signed it Childless Cat Lady a dig at resurfaced comments made by J D Vance about Democrats and miserable childless cat ladies In her endorsement Swift disclosed she would vote for Harris and running mate Tim Walz because the former California senator and San Francisco district attorney fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them The mega-star also praised Harris as a steady-handed gifted leader who would lead with calm and not chaos The Swift endorsement helped boost an already electric mood in the Harris campaign after the debate the authors shared Harris requested if she should mention the endorsement when she spoke to supporters at a watch party the authors wrote But staffers narrated her that would sound too thirsty though they agreed to change her walk-off song at the event to Swift s The Man Days after Swift s endorsement Trump fumed on his Truth Social platform declaring in all-caps I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT TOPSHOT - US producer and actress Oprah Winfrey L holds up US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' hand as she arrive onstage during a campaign rally on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on November Photo by ANGELA WEISS AFP Photo by ANGELA WEISS AFP via Getty Images Ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August and the November electoral process this new book and others have stated that the Harris campaign dedicated huge support to massive rallies with celebrity guests After Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris became the Democratic candidate the Oakland-reared former prosecutor began packing in crowds at rallies and dominating news cycles including the celebrity entertainment media She was hailed as a rock star and the coolest thing pop tradition as she fought Trump another celebrity from his days as a reality TV star and a New York City tabloid figure Authors Dawsey Pager and Arnsdorf wrote Harris and Walz reported they were bringing delight back to politics and massive celebrity-filled rallies Meghan Thee Stallion performed in Atlanta Maggie Rogers in Ann Arbor Gracie Abrams and Mumford Sons in Madison Wisconsin were key to that strategy Beyonce who had been rumored to appear alongside Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August conclusively joined the candidate at an abortion rights rally in her hometown of Houston Texas in October But privately chosen campaign staff raised concerns that the major rallies may not be worth the millions of dollars they cost to stage or the staff outlay the authors wrote There was scant evidence that the rallies were persuading voters or necessarily boosting turnout There also were concerns about specific of the celebrity assignments according to the book For example the campaign sent Springsteen whose fans are predominantly white to Clarkston Georgia where the city s population is black and foreign-born The predominantly white press corps seemed more interested in Springsteen s performance than the mostly black attendees the authors explained In the final hours before Vote Day there was several belief that Swift might eventually make an appearance according to the book Harris was headed to Pennsylvania for specific events and a final rally in Philadelphia and low-level Harris aides did nothing to tamp down the speculation that Swift would join Harris there in her home state Instead Lady Gaga was the main act for the final event the book revealed It s well-known that Swift has attentively curated her political activism just as she curates her residents image She appears eager to limit her political statements to those which she believes will have maximum impact usually non-partisan statements that encourage voter registration efforts She first endorsed candidates in the electoral contest cycle lending her endorsement to Democrats running in races in Tennessee her home state at the time She endorsed Joe Biden on social media in then Harris in Following Trump s stunning and decisive accomplishment on Nov Harris celebrity supporters were left to articulate their grief and disbelief or like Swift they stayed silent As political pundits and cultural commentators noted at the time they were perhaps numbed by the realization that million Americans or close to of voters didn t just reject their chosen candidate but helped to repudiate a belief in celebrities power to influence lifestyle politics and people s voting choices