Tim Walz Says He's 'Grateful' for Taylor Swift's Endorsement in 2024 Election as 'a Fellow Cat Owner'

Mar. 15, 2025

Tim Walz, Taylor Swift.Photo:Paul Morigi/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty

Tim Walz and Taylor Swift

Paul Morigi/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty

Tim Walzis “grateful” forTaylor Swift’s support ahead of the2024 election.

Shortly after thepresidential debatebetweenKamala HarrisandDonald Trump, the Minnesota governor, 60,appeared on MSNBCfor the network’s post-debate coverage, where he reacted toSwift’s endorsementof him and Harris, 59.

“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner — a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear,” Walz told host Rachel Maddow, adding, “And that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up.”

“We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC, we’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there cause they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy,” the politician continued. “And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift, coming out and making that very clear.”

He then gave a shoutout to Swift’s fan base, stating, “This will be the opportunity, Swifties — KamalaHarris.com — get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.”

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Swift, 34, announced her support for Harris moments after the presidential hopefulwrapped her first debate withTrump, 78, on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” the singer began the caption on anInstagram postalongside a photo of herself holding a cat. “If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”

Then referencing fake A.I. images that falsely showed her endorsing Trump — which the former president previouslyshared on his social media platform, Truth Social— Swift continued, “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”

“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” she then said, noting, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

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Kamala Harris shakes hands with Donald Trump at the presidential debate on Sept. 10.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Kamala Harris shakes hands with Donald Trump

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

The Grammy winner then shouted out all the reasons why she is backing Harris, explaining that she “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”

“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story,” she added.

Taylor Swift, Tim Walz.Anthony Harvey/Shutterstockl; Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty

Taylor Swift and Tim Walz

Anthony Harvey/Shutterstockl; Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty

Swift previously threw her support behind PresidentJoe Bidenand Harrisduring the 2020 election season. The endorsement marked the first time she had publicly backed a presidential candidate.

In her 2019 Netflix documentaryMiss Americana, Swift’s decision to come forward about her political views after keeping them private for most of her career was documented.

In one scene, the singer-songwriter tearfully pushed for approval to explicitly express her stances to an all-male board meeting, which included her father,Scott Swift.

source: people.com