As the fans across the world celebrate Taylor Swift’s engagement to US football player Travis Kelce, MAGA supporters have been quick to weigh in, giving their congratulations and claiming the marriage will “turn her conservative”.
Swift has previously been outspoken about her liberal views, even endorsing Kamala Harris for president.
At the time, Trump posted to his Truth Social media account that he, in all-caps, hated Taylor Swift, after the so-called “childless cat-lady” gave her public endorsement to his political opponent.
Just three weeks ago, Trump had written again that he hated Swift and called her a “woke singer” who is “NO LONGER HOT”.
And yet, asked about his reaction to Swift’s engagement during a cabinet meeting this week, Trump’s rhetoric flipped, as he said: “Well, I wish them a lot of luck. I think it’s – I think he’s a great player, I think he’s a great guy and I think that she’s a terrific person. So I wish them a lot of luck.”
Announcing their engagement on Instagram this week, the famous couple shared a series of photos of themselves in a garden, with Kelce, 35, proposing to Swift, 35, with a sparkling ring.
The post has already reached a whopping 31 million likes, and the caption reads: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
One of MAGA’s biggest media personalities, Ben Shapiro called the engagement “unironically an excellent thing”.
Framing the engagement as a win for conservatives as well, right wing commentator Matt Van Swol said: “Taylor Swift getting married is a massive net-positive for society and a huge blow to the woke movement”.
Another right-wing media personality, Charlie Kirk made some particularly wild statements following the engagement announcement, saying he hopes getting married and having children makes the “annoyingly liberal” couple change their values, telling Swift to “submit to her husband”.
“I hope that America’s biggest pop star marrying the pharmaceutical spokesperson ends up conservatising them,” Kirk said in a bizarre rant, referencing Kelce’s 2023 ad campaign for the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer.
“All kidding and sarcasm aside, this is something that I hope will make Taylor Swift more conservative. Engage in reality more and get outside of the abstract clouds. Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge,” Kirk said, adding that he wants Swift to change her name so that he can go to a “Taylor Kelce concert”.
Beyond these backhanded conservative congratulations, Swift and Kelce’s engagement is drawing attention from all sides of the political spectrum.
Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic representative for Ohio, used the announcement as an opportunity to bring attention to the dangerous nature of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“My heartfelt congratulations to Ohio native Travis Kelce on his engagement to Pennsylvania native Taylor Swift,” Kaptur wrote on X. “Now that I have your attention—we must do everything we can to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid before it is too late. People in both our states and nationwide depend on it.”
This signature legislation from Trump has received widespread criticism across the US, even from some Republicans, saying the new law disproportionately benefits the wealthy and hurts lower-income Americans. It has increased spending on immigration enforcement and the military and includes deep spending reductions to Medicaid.
As for marriage, rates in the US have been on the decline from the 1960s onward as more people consider delaying or foregoing the institution altogether. While there’s been a lot of research looking into the associated factors, a shift in cultural norms and rising economic costs seem to be at the forefront of the trend.