This year, a photograph of a lady holding a cat was posted on Instagram and seen by millions of users. The lady was Taylor Swift, and she posted to share her political opinion with hundreds of millions of fans. This is one of the more well-known celebrity political endorsements of this year. From clips of politicians on the internet to assassination attempts, the election has garnered plenty of attention this year. Throughout the election season, some celebrities have come out and publicly endorsed candidates. However, should voters really be getting information about politics from their favorite singer? Do these political endorsements even have an effect? With America so divided, such political endorsements can play a sufficient role in the direction of the election.
Some of the more notable endorsements of late have been made through social media or in interviews. As posted by Forbes on October 4, some famous individuals supporting Kamala Harris include Bruce Springsteen, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Barrack Obama, and Bill Clinton. Some famous people supporting Donald Trump include Elon Musk, Zachary Levi, Hulk Hogan, Dana White, and Brittany Mahomes. Other individuals such as Chappell Roan have chosen to publicly make it known that she is not endorsing anyone. In a Sept. 18 Los Angeles Times article entitled “Pharrell Williams Knocks Celebrities who Endorse Politicians: ‘Nobody Asked You,’” Williams says that he disagrees with the practice of celebrities endorsing politicians. But are any of these endorsements effective in persuading voters’ minds? Freshman Luka DeSilva said, “I feel like it does because if celebrities do endorse political candidates, then I feel like their hardcore fans will be obliged to follow them.” Additionally, senior Catherine Christakos shared, “A lot of [Taylor Swift’s] fans are very young, and it’s been shown that a lot of younger people are less likely to vote. So if they hear that their favorite celebrity is going to go vote, maybe it’ll push them to go vote towards that candidate.” Christakos was referring to Swift’s endorsement of Harris.
The celebrity political endorsements in the 2024 presidential election are considered unethical by some. When asked about whether celebrity political endorsements cause change, freshman Philip Jerzak said, “Yeah, it would change a lot of peoples’ minds I think.” Jerzak also said that he disagrees with celebrity political endorsements. When individuals with influence use that influence to try and sway voters in a certain political direction, people believe it can have an influence. Is that okay? Christakos expressed, “They’re just voting because it’s a bunch of people who want to support a different person, so essentially, they’re not supporting you, they’re not supporting the political candidate, they’re supporting the celebrity that they want to support.” This is especially significant because with social media, these endorsements have widespread reach. So many people can see that endorsement at their fingertips no matter what time or what location. With more attention on these celebrity endorsements, there is also a discussion to be had on the ethics of it. This is emphasized by how certain celebrities have made it known that they are not endorsing any political candidates.
That Instagram post by Swift on September 10 was as clearly more than just a photograph of a lady holding a cat with some politically motivated text featured below. With Swift being one of the most beloved and well-known singers of the 21st century, her endorsement of Kamala Harris was one of the more iconic celebrity political endorsements of the election. This year’s presidential election includes notable celebrity endorsements that may be able to sway the minds of voters, and potentially sway the election.
