'Childless cat lady' Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris after Trump debate

Taylor Swift has said she will vote for Kamala Harris in the US election, giving her endorsement just minutes after the debate with Donald Trump ended.

The Instagram post showed her holding her car Benjamin Button - a reference to Mr Trump's running mate JD Vance's childless cat lady" comments.

Follow the latest on the Trump v Harris debate reaction here

Swift urged her 283 million followers to "do your research," but said AI-generated images of her supporting Mr Trump made her realise "I need to be very transparent about my actual plans".

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," she said. "I'm voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.

"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.

"I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman's right to her own body for decades."

Read more:
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'Massive star' endorsement could be 'huge'

Sky News US correspondent James Matthews said after her post that Swift's endorsement is "huge" for the Harris-Walz campaign.

"She is a massive star, huge," he said. "She speaks to people in a way that politicians do not, and the message from Taylor Swift will resonate with a huge audience far beyond the kind of people watching what has gone on here.

"The timing will not have been an accident. Tonight, the headline is Taylor Swift. Tomorrow, all the talk is going to be about Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift and the momentum that will be behind her."

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It marks the first time Swift has spoken on the 2024 election. While the Style hitmaker did endorse Joe Biden in 2020, she did so only a month before election day.

However, despite her worldwide fame and popularity even Taylor Swift cannot escape the vicissitudes of American politics. The number of people following her on social media fell following her post.