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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre could not stop laughing as she was asked about reports indicating that President Joe Biden’s campaign was considering teaming up with the queen of pop music, Taylor Swift, for 2024.
CNN’s John Berman asked the press secretary about the report but could not get the question out completely before she started to laugh it off.
“With your permission. The New York Times wrote a long article today about the president’s reelection campaign, and I counted four paragraphs inside that article about efforts to get Taylor Swift involved in the president’s reelection. (laughter) I said, with your permission and forgiveness here!” Berman said.
“One sentence said, one idea that’s been tossed around a bit in jest, sending the president to a stop on Swift’s Eras tour,” he continued as Jean-Pierre continued laughing.
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“So what would Swift’s support give the president? Any plans? Any plans to go on tour?” he pressed.
“So let me first say I got to be really mindful. I’m a federal employee. As you know, there’s something called the Hatch Act, so certainly cannot speak to anything that is related to 2024 an upcoming election. So going to be super, super mindful, obviously,” she responded.
“There are a lot of, I know, in my shop, in the press office shop, there are a lot of Swifties. If you were, if you will, fans of Taylor Swift. And so I’m just going to leave it there. I’m not going (laughs),” she noted further.
“I’m not going to get into the president’s schedule at all from here. As it relates to the 2024 elections,” she noted further.
Biden is facing historic lows in his disapproval ratings and is actively seeking ways to reinvigorate his campaign with new, young energy. Meanwhile, his likely opponent in the upcoming election, former President Donald Trump, continues to gain traction in the Republican primaries.
To give his re-election bid a “fresh feel,” Biden’s team is exploring potential endorsements from prominent figures, including celebrities. One name that has come up is Swift, who is one of the nation’s biggest stars and holds the record for the first artist to see a tour grossing over $1 billion, with 4.35 million tickets sold across 60 tour dates in 2023.
Biden and his team are particularly concerned about reaching voting blocs that are trending away from the president, including young, black, and Latino voters. In 2020, Biden won young voters by 20 percentage points, but he is now tied with Trump among this demographic. This is due, in part, to concerns over Biden’s age, his stance on Israel, and the state of the economy. Democratic allies and lawmakers are worried about Biden’s chances of winning these voters over and securing a second term.
“To reach young voters, Biden’s campaign has focused heavily on social media, using videos from influencers and even those with a niche following to promote its message. The president recently visited the home of a man who had his federal loans canceled through Biden’s program, a focal point of Biden’s reelection campaign. The man’s son posted a video of Biden’s visit on TikTok, drawing millions of views,” the Washington Examiner reported.
“The campaign is discussing opportunities for celebrities to promote the president on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, according to the New York Times. There are plans to hold a fundraiser with two former Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, sources told NBC News. However, the end game is to receive an endorsement from Swift, who has become influential both on and off the stage on social media. Her recent appearances at NFL games have grown her fan base dramatically as well,” the outlet added.
