Taylor Swift Hits Back at Donald Trump's Threat of Violence on Twitter

Chelsey Sanchez
·5 min read
Photo credit: Emma McIntyre - Getty Images
Photo credit: Emma McIntyre - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

  • Following escalating protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in response to the police killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, President Donald Trump via Twitter threatened violence through the military against protesters.

  • Taylor Swift, in a rare political statement, hit back at Trump's tweet, writing, "We will vote you out in November."

Protests have erupted across the country following the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who an officer suffocated by pinning down Floyd's neck with his knee. Meanwhile in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Floyd lived, standoffs between protesters and the police have intensified. In response to the turmoil, President Donald Trump scripted a chilling tweet on Thursday evening: "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

Many immediately disparaged Trump's threat of violence against the protesters, with some pointing out that the phrase, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts," is derived from a notoriously racist Miami police chief from the '60s. One unexpected voice to join the wave of rage was pop star Taylor Swift, who rarely comments on political issues.

"After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?" she tweeted on Friday. "'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump"

Swift's comment comes at a time of great malcontent among the American public. She spoke out about her political beliefs before the 2018 midterm election, in which she explained why she would not be voting for Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn for Senate due to her record in Congress.

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift wrote in the 2018 Instagram post. "I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country."

View this post on Instagram

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! ??????

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

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