The war for Taylor Swift’s vote began before Donald Trump cemented his front-runner GOP status in Iowa.
Article after after insisted Swift’s presidential preferences could make or break the 2024 campaign.
And it’s only warming up.
Taylor Swift is on a wish list of endorsements that aides of Biden have drafted uphttps://t.co/nf9GlI2VqUhttps://t.co/nf9GlI2VqU
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 30, 2024
Meanwhile, pundits point to Spotify’s Joe Rogan as a potential “X” factor. Rogan is apolitical, bouncing from center-Left to center-Right. His audience is far less tribal than, say, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Call them the Undecideds.
Add two flawed, unpopular candidates and voters susceptible to pop culture pressure. Let the battle begin.
The New York Times reported how Team Biden is eager to lock up Swift’s endorsement to bolster his re-election chances.
And other Biden aides are drafting wish lists of potential surrogates, including elected officials, social media influencers and the endorsement of their wildest dreams: the global superstar Taylor Swift.
The Baltimore Sun published a reader-generated essay arguing President Biden should dump Kamala Harris and recruit Swift as his Vice President.
Democracy could come to an end in America if Donald Trump is elected. Vice President Kamala Harris should step aside for the good of the nation. Putting Swift on the ticket will dramatically boost voter registration among Democrats.
Swift kept a strictly apolitical pose for years, drawing heat following President Trump’s 2016 election. The superstar later relented, pledging allegiance to all things progressive. That transformation earned its documentary closeup with “Miss Americana.”
The “new” Swift isn’t particularly well informed on the issues of the day, at least according to her social media posts and interview responses. In her defense, the press won’t ask her to defend or elaborate on her views.
That doesn’t matter. She’s the biggest star on the planet, and her opinions hold sway over her fan base and beyond, according to select pundits.
Swift steered clear of politics during last year’s Eras Tour. She sang and stayed above the political fray all the while.
Few expect her to hold her tongue during the upcoming presidential slugfest. The last time she sat out a presidential campaign some press outlets suggested she was a White Supremacist.
And there’s zero chance she’ll change her allegiance from Biden to Trump. The fallout could seriously damage her superstar status and likely doesn’t reflect her worldview.
Which brings us to Rogan.
RELATED: JOE ROGAN – FROM SITCOM SIDEKICK TO CULTURE WARRIOR
The former “Fear Factor” host has emerged as one of pop culture’s most powerful figures. His “Joe Rogan Experience” offers two-plus hour chats with celebrities, authors, comedians and medical experts. The conversations range from hunting to COVID-19, and Rogan is open-minded to fault.
He’s also a truth teller.
Rogan, unlike Stephen Colbert or Jimmy Kimmel, understands President Biden is suffering from the ravages of aging. And he says it over and again, something the press is unwilling to do. (Adult language in clip below)
Joe Rogan laying down truth bombs about how we are all feeling about Joe Biden
If you got a guy who basically has no mind, & he is your figurehead and you can keep him alive for 4 years, you just run it the way you are now by giving Trump new charges and lying about him… pic.twitter.com/4Xokt3BZ4Q
— ᗩℓιѕѕα♡ (@Alissa4TheUSA) January 25, 2024
That’s hardly all Rogan has said over the past few years. He’s vilified media bias, blasted the “narratives” surrounding COVID-19 and asked his fan base to question authority.
Rogan won’t likely endorse Trump. Heck, two years ago he said he wouldn’t invite the former President on his popular podcast. He seems disinterested in joining one political party over the other.
He’s a comedian, not a pundit.
Still, if Rogan and his guests continue to call out Biden’s cognitive decline it could be a de facto Trump endorsement. And it’s not just about Biden.
Rogan repeatedly torches today’s Democratic Party in ways that may register with his fans. Consider this rant during a January chat with comedian Bobby Lee.
“I used to be part of the blue bubble. I was 100 percent a left-leaning person who lived in Los Angeles. I never voted Republican my whole life,” said Rogan, who moved from California to Texas at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was very left leaning, especially when it comes to social issues.”
Not anymore.
“California went nuts, man. It’s gone, like, full Communist. It’s out of its f*** mind. Their approach to law enforcement, it’s so insane. The no-cash bail … not stopping people for stealing … San Francisco is nonexistent. Most of San Francisco is emptied out of big chain stores and big department stores,” Rogan said.
“I won’t even do stand up there anymore,” Lee said, interrupting Rogan’s rant and sharing his personal, political conversion. “I’m in the middle now. I never thought I’d say that. It only happened in the last year.”
The Swift versus Rogan battle has a clear winner in one respect. No one is a bigger star today than Swift. Rogan can’t measure up to her level of fame.
It’s not even close.
They approach the political space in wildly different ways. Swift is the master of social media given her gargantuan flock, and her hold over fans is absolute.
Rogan challenges listeners to think beyond sound bites and media narratives. He asks them to consider their eyes and ears as their most trusted resources.
Close elections can swing on any number of issues. Could 2024 come down to two pop culture superstars?
Weirder things have happened.
The post Is This the Taylor Swift vs. Joe Rogan Election? appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.