"To Become President, You Must Persuade the Fandom"... BTS and Taylor Swift Emerge as 'Kingmakers' in Argentina's Presidential Election

Argentina Swift Fandom Opposes Far-Right Candidate
Following Swift's Past Public Criticism of Trump
Candidate Who Criticized BTS Also Needs to Persuade Fans' Sentiment

The fandoms of the group BTS, called ARMY, and pop star Taylor Swift, called Swifties, are considered one of the major variables in the Argentine presidential election.

Taylor’s Past Public Criticism of Trump... Argentine Fandom Opposing the Far-Right

Pop star Taylor Swift passionately performed on stage during the 'Eras Tour' in Inglewood, California, USA, on August 7 (local time). [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 4th (local time), the American daily The New York Times (NYT) reported that far-right candidate Javier Milei (Libertad Avanza party), who is causing a sensation in the Argentine presidential election, must persuade the angry Taylor Swift and BTS fandoms to become the next president.

Some of Taylor Swift’s fans are publicly criticizing candidate Milei.

After Milei’s advancement to the runoff was confirmed last month, Argentine fans formed a group called “Swifties Against Libertad Avanza” and urged people to vote against Milei.

The group stated, “Having seen and heard Taylor dedicate everything to preventing the right-wing from winning in her country, we cannot help but fight,” adding, “As Taylor says, we must stand on the right side of history.”

Argentine far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei waves to supporters outside his Buenos Aires headquarters after the final round of the presidential election concluded on the 22nd of last month (local time).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Previously, Taylor Swift revealed in a 2020 documentary that she decided to publicly oppose President Donald Trump despite the risk of damaging her career.

This statement has spread widely in Argentina over the past few weeks. “Swifties Against Libertad Avanza” posted that “Milei = Trump,” claiming the two figures are no different.

Also, Macarena, who is active in “Swifties Against Libertad Avanza,” said that 140 fans created a WhatsApp group and plan to put up posters opposing Milei outside Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert venue in Buenos Aires on the 9th, and they are cooperating with small groups in other regions as well.

"Mocked and No Apology"... Foreign Media Focus on BTS Fandom’s Political Power

Argentina's far-right presidential candidate Milei's running mate, vice-presidential candidate Victoria Villarruel.
[Image source=Captured from Villarruel's SNS]

The BTS fandom’s passion was provoked by Victoria Villarruel, Milei’s running mate and vice-presidential candidate.

She recently came under fire for hateful remarks made on Twitter (now X) in 2020, such as “BTS sounds like a sexually transmitted disease” and “I hate Koreans with pink hair.”

When controversy arose over these past tweets after advancing to the runoff, she responded, “Sorry that a thousand-year-old funny tweet chat alarm is flooding in like this,” which worsened public sentiment.

Although BTS members have not commented on the Argentine presidential election, foreign media noted that the BTS fandom ARMY holds political power, as evidenced by their refusal to reserve seats at a Trump rally held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2020, which increased the number of empty seats.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.