"Biden Secret Agent and Fake Romance"...Unexpected Swift Conspiracy Theory in the U.S.

Severe Backlash Over Conspiracy Theories by Trump-Supporting Far-Right Media
Past Biden Support and Boyfriend Also Dragged In

Taylor Swift, a global American pop star with 279 million social media (SNS) followers, has recently been caught up in political conspiracy theories ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

'Taylornomics' Swift, showing economic and social influence as well as political power, seems to be checked through conspiracy theories

Global American pop star Taylor Swift.
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

On the 30th (local time), U.S. media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that conspiracy theories surrounding Swift began to flood especially since September last year. In the U.S., ahead of the November presidential election, MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters and far-right media led by former President Donald Trump are raising conspiracy theories targeting Swift. They are also attacking NFL player Travis Kelce, who is publicly dating Swift.

Swift, enjoying unparalleled popularity, currently exerts significant social and economic influence and has also shown political influence once before. In September last year, when Swift posted on her SNS Instagram encouraging fans to participate in voting, the number of newly registered voters increased by as many as 35,000 in just one day. Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (Democratic Party), praised Swift as a "unique presence."

Claims of Pentagon secret agent and fake relationship... interpreted as a result of breaking conservative beliefs

Taylor Swift, selected as Time magazine's 'Person of the Year 2023'. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

In response, the right wing has intensified its offensive against Swift. One of the persistent conspiracy theories is that Swift is a secret agent for the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) and is building a fan base to support President Joe Biden’s re-election. There are also claims that Swift and Kelce are a fake couple created to promote the NFL, COVID-19 vaccines, and Democratic Party support. The attacks peaked especially when Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, advanced to the Super Bowl, the championship game.

Additionally, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy sarcastically posted on SNS, "I wonder who will win the Super Bowl next month," and "I wonder if the artificially culturally supported couple will endorse the major presidential candidate this fall." Pro-Trump broadcaster Mike Crispi claimed that the NFL is "manipulated" to spread "Democratic propaganda." He asserted, "I guarantee Kansas City will win and go to the Super Bowl, and Swift will perform at the halftime show, supporting Joe Biden with Kelce at midfield," treating the conspiracy theory as a fact.

Analysts suggest that the relationship between Swift and Kelce has dealt a blow to conservative beliefs. Kelce has appeared in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and Bud Light beer advertisements. Bud Light faced backlash from conservatives after sponsoring a transgender influencer. There is also an interpretation that the fact that Swift and Kelce’s relationship differs from traditional romantic ideals has had an impact. Swift, a successful and wealthy woman with a net worth exceeding $1 billion (about 1.3 trillion KRW), has elevated her boyfriend Kelce to a higher level of celebrity than before. This image is said to have challenged some traditional gender norms.

Biden camp sends love call to Swift amid this situation... conspiracy theories expected to gain more momentum

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, reports that Biden’s campaign is requesting Swift’s support have sharpened former President Trump’s side’s stance. Although Swift has not clearly declared her preferred candidate for the election yet, she criticized then-President Donald Trump of the Republican Party and expressed support for Democratic candidate Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

However, the influence of these spreading conspiracy theories is strong enough that they cannot be dismissed as mere nonsense. Foreign media pointed out that those promoting these conspiracy theories have considerable influence within the Republican Party, and millions rely on them for news and information. Therefore, the more aggressive these conspiracy theories become, the more traction they will gain, and they are expected to repeatedly appear on prime-time shows of mainstream media such as Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Gerard Holt, an extremism and misinformation researcher at the think tank Strategic Dialogue, criticized, "(Individuals and media spreading conspiracy theories about Swift) are one of the main sources of information for modern conservatives, and they receive financial support from Republican elites to spread these absurd claims," adding, "It is a sign of how far removed and indifferent conservative media are from reality today."

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