Celebrities need to take a step back from political endorsements

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Global singer and superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last month, and the reactions were mixed. 

Swift stated she endorsed Harris because there was misinformation about her endorsing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — she only spoke up to clarify that wasn’t her stance. 

“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”

Yes, Swift is human just like the rest of us, so she has her own opinions and can say what she wants. Her endorsement shows she was just stating her opinion, and everyone else can do as they please. 

However, as a result of this move, thousands of her fans could be persuaded by her stance. If they weren’t planning on voting, they probably are now. For example, when Swift encouraged her fans to register to vote last year, more than 35,000 registrations were recorded shortly after, according to the non-profit Vote.org. Her fans’ actions shows how large of an impact she has globally. 

But this time, on social media, there were opposing reactions, with many saying there will now be an increase in Democratic Party votes by people who are likely Swift fans — their sole reason being that their idol is voting blue. 

When popular celebrities like Swift talk about politics, I feel they don’t often have a deeper understanding about politicians and their beliefs, which is why people should do their own research and vote based on their own opinions — not someone else’s. 

There was another notable celeb endorsement recently when singer Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS posted a video on Instagram endorsing Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, which garnered more than 3 million likes. Again, people’s reactions to the video were very mixed. 

In the comment section, users questioned how much Eilish was paid, and many said the video made them want to vote for Trump instead. This leads me to believe that those who feel very strongly against celebrities endorsing political figures would vote for the opposite party just out of spite, which is problematic. 

Anyone who watched Eilish’s video could clearly see it was scripted. So, who is to say they weren’t paid to film it, which calls into question how genuine it is. It could just be a performance for them to just gain popularity.

Swift, Eilish, and other celebrities are generally very wealthy, so a lot of them may not fully realize the difficulties of being in a lower tax bracket or the working class. Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, so the candidates’ plans for the majority of Americans will have quite a large impact on their lives — not celebrities’ lives. 

Many people, including myself, believe celebrities should keep their political opinions to themselves. There are thousands, if not millions, of people who could easily be swayed by what celebrities say. 

Voting is a personal decision, and, because of that, it should be private. These people’s opinions should not overrule everyone else’s. So, do your own research and make your own decision.