President Donald Trump revived his criticism of one of the world’s biggest pop stars: Taylor Swift.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Aug. 4 in support of Sydney Sweeney, who has been at the center of a debate around an American Eagle ad campaign she appears in. The ad features Sweeney in all denim, and plays on words implying she has good “jeans” and “genes,” which some have argued has an undertone of eugenics.
During the debate around the ads, reports surfaced that Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida, and Trump quickly took her side when talking to reporters on Aug. 3, saying “Oh, now I love her ad … If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
In the subsequent winding post about the American Eagle ad, a Jaguar ad and the Bud Light boycott, he took aim at Swift.
“Just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift,” the post read. “Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”
USA TODAY reached out to a representative for Swift.
More: American Eagle stock rises after Trump praises Sydney Sweeney ad amid backlash
Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election
Swift endorsed the Democratic nominee after the presidential debate between former Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump. Harris had a historically short campaign after stepping in for former President Joe Biden following his disastrous debate with Trump earlier in the summer.
“(Harris) fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift said in a post, which took a subtle jab at JD Vance’s viral comments about “childless cat ladies.” “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Days later, Trump took to Truth Social to declare “I hate Taylor Swift,” though his campaign leaned into the clash by selling T-shirts with a similar design to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour merchandise, only with Trump’s face on it.
Trump also claimed in May that “she’s no longer HOT” since he said he hated her.
Trump has threatened legal action on Harris’ celebrity endorsements
Trump has said he wants a major investigation into celebrity endorsements of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
On May 19, Trump questioned whether Harris paid Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah, a few of the big names who stumped for Harris in her presidential campaign.
“This was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds,” Trump said on Truth Social. “IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system.”
He did not mention Swift, but left accusations open-ended in a separate post by saying “perhaps many others.”
But the claims come without evidence, as the Federal Election Commission does not explicitly ban paid endorsements.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump revives ‘hate’ for Taylor Swift, praises Sydney Sweeney jeans ad
