JD Vance attempted to minimise the impact that Taylor Swiftβs endorsement of Kamala Harris on Tuesday night might have on the November election β only to have it backfire on him badly.
During a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Martha MacCallum asked the Ohio senator and Republican vice-presidential nominee his thoughts about Swift, a pop icon with some 284 million followers on Instagram.
βIβm sure that someone brought to your attention that she signed [her Harris endorsement], βChildless Cat Lady.β This is a phrase you are going to hear in your dreams and your nightmares for many years to come,β MacCallum said. βHow do you speak to women voters who, obviously β they care about what she thinks?β
Vance was sceptical.
βI donβt think most Americans β whether they like her music, or [are] fans of hers or not β are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans,β Vance said.
He added: βWhen grocery prices go up 20%, it hurts most Americans. It doesnβt hurt Taylor Swift. When housing prices become unaffordable, it doesnβt affect Taylor Swift or any other billionaire.β
Although Vance is probably correct that Swift is rich enough to be able to withstand most major financial emergencies, many people on social media noted that the senatorβs description would also apply to Vanceβs running mate, Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Trump reacted to the news of Swiftβs endorsement by telling Fox Newsβ Steve Doocy that heβs not a fan of the singer β mainly because she endorsed Joe Biden in 2020.
βYou look at Biden, you couldnβt possibly endorse him,β he said.