Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance stuck his foot into his own mouth while trying to downplay Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris by going after billionaire celebrities similar to his running mate, Donald Trump
The senator from Ohio appeared on Fox News’ The Story on Wednesday, September 11, where host Martha MacCallum asked him about Swift’s endorsement of Harris.
“She has 283 million followers on Instagram,” MacCallum said. “And I’m sure that someone brought to your attention that she signed it ‘Childless Cat Lady.’ This is a phrase you are going to hear in your dreams and your nightmares for many years to come. How do you speak to women voters who, obviously, they care about what she thinks?”
“Well, look, we admire Taylor Swift’s music,” Vance responded. “I don’t think most Americans — whether they like her music or fans of hers or not — are gonna be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans,” he continued, unwittingly describing his own running mate, Donald Trump. “When grocery prices go up 20%, it hurts most Americans. It doesn’t hurt Taylor Swift. When housing prices become unaffordable, it doesn’t affect Taylor Swift or any other billionaire.”
An army of Swifties and other critics of Vance took to social media to poke fun at the Republican.
One user shared a clip of Vance’s interview in a post that read, “Once again, I gotta say J.D. Vance has a knack for accidentally delivering the most spot-on critical assessments of Trump.”
Another user wrote, “Deeply unserious thing to say when your running mate is an out-of-touch billionaire celebrity.”
A third person joked, “This is the greatest Republican Party self-own of the week. They are beyond cooked, and they have zero self-awareness.”
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As OK! previously reported, shortly after Tuesday’s debate between Harris and Trump concluded, Swift took to her Instagram account and announced her support for the vice president.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most,” the “Bad Blood” singer wrote. “As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she continued. “I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
Swift signed her endorsement, “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” referencing Vance’s previous controversial comments.
In her post, the pop superstar also referenced the AI images Trump shared on Truth Social, which displayed a fake photo of Swift endorsing the Republican presidential candidate.
She wrote, “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
