In an intriguing development on social media platforms, Tesla CEO Elon Musk drew attention to remarks made by ex-President Donald Trump concerning popular musician Taylor Swift’s fading appeal. Both Musk and Trump seem to have directed their online energies towards Swift. This is not the first time the duo expressed their dismay. In 2018, post Swift’s endorsement of the Democrats, Trump admitted to appreciating her music 25 percent less. In 2021, Trump pointed out a backlash Swift experienced at a Chiefs game, highlighting a ‘booing’ episode. The critique didn’t stop with her Super Bowl outing either.
Recently, Trump turned his attention to Swift’s appearance. On May 16, he publicly mused: ‘Has the world noticed that since I professed my dislike for Taylor Swift, she’s no longer seen as desirable?’ This statement was isolated in a screenshot by a twitter user, inviting further speculation, with a remark about how long it had been since Trump last made a comment about Swift.
The Twitteratif took it from there. A post featuring a photograph of Swift performing, interestingly edited to include a meme, stirred responses. Out of the blue, Elon Musk, also known by the internet alias ‘Kekius Maximus’, joined the online forum with a laughing emoji as reaction.
Public opinion, fairly quickly, turned against Musk’s response. One online user on Reddit alleged Musk of body-shaming Swift, with a second chiming in with criticism of the unwanted fixation on the songstress: ‘Why can’t she be left in peace? What’s their fascination with her?’
Another follower proposed an interesting theory about why Musk and Trump seem to be so fixated on Swift: ‘She shares their level of prosperity as a billionaire, and they resent it’. Yet another user vented a disgust at Musk, ‘Isn’t he the one who mentioned something about fathering her child last year? He’s abhorrent.’
This isn’t Musk’s first public mention of Swift. During the recent presidential elections when Donald Trump contested against Kamala Harris for the 47th presidential seat, Swift publicly announced her political preference online. She identified herself as supporting Harris and their running mate, Tim Walz.
Swift made her political stance known via social media, articulating her concern about the dangerous implications of AI in spreading misinformation. She felt compelled to clearly state her election plans. She said: ‘My apprehensions concerning AI and the peril of proliferating false information prompted this decision. I have come to realize that I must be completely honest about my voting intention for this election. The most effective way to dispel false data is with hard truth.’
Concluding her statement with a tongue-in-cheek sign-off, Swift referred to herself as a ‘childless cat lady’, in a subtle spoof of JD Vance’s description of prominent Democrats, which Swift interpolated as ‘a bunch of childless cat ladies’.
Surprisingly, Musk had another unusual reaction to Swift’s declaration. He responded to her in an exaggerated manner by offering to father a child and promising to guard her cats: ‘Alright Taylor, you triumph. I will give you a child and protect your cats.’
Musk’s continued reference of Swift seemed persistent, as he used another unusual instance to bring her up again after being accused of giving a ‘Nazi salute’ at an event. Defiantly, Musk posted a picture of Hitler making a Nazi salute next to a photo of Swift with her arm raised, thus drawing a problematic comparison.
The Reddit community was quick to share footage from the alleged 2014 incident, establishing that Swift was actually sending a kiss to her fans. The social network’s hive mind was neither pleased nor amused but this incident served to highlight the unwanted attention Swift has been receiving from the likes of Musk and Trump.
The post Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s Unusual Focus on Taylor Swift appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
