Sen. Marsha Blackburn is taking the high road when asked about Taylor Swift’s potential influence in the presidential election, even though the pop star once referred to the lawmaker as “Trump in a wig.”
“Taylor Swift is really a popular, very talented young woman. She has built quite an empire. I am so thrilled that she has chosen to base that in Nashville,” the Tennessee Republican said on Newsmax Wednesday.
There has been a bigger-than-normal burst of attention for the singer amid reports that President Biden is looking for a way to nab an endorsement from her, and conservatives are questioning why she would get involved in politics at all.
One conspiracy theory even suggests that the upcoming Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs, the team on which Ms. Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce plays tight end, and the San Francisco 49ers will be rigged for a Chief’s win leading into a Biden endorsement.
Ms. Blackburn pointed out that Ms. Swift is “considered to be an influencer,” but that people will vote for what’s important to them in elections.
“I think when it comes to elections, people look at the issues that are important to them, and they make their decisions,” she said. “Right now, we know that the border, the open border, the Biden border policy, that is something at the top of the list for so many people, certainly in Tennessee. The border is issue number one.”
In 2018, Ms. Swift endorsed Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredeson, a Democrat, against Ms. Blackburn for the Senate seat. In “Miss Americana,” her 2020 Netflix documentary, Ms. Swift called the Tennessee Republican “Trump in a wig.”
When asked on Newsmax if the comment bothered her, Ms. Blackburn said, “I just shake it off,” making a reference to one of Ms. Swift’s songs.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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