Taylor Swift’s silence on the Trump administration’s use of her music speaks volumes | Taylor Swift

IIn the past two weeks, the Trump administration has used music from Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, in three social media posts. The first, shared by the official White House TikTok account, was a patriotic slideshow of images set to the song The Fate of Ophelia. As Swift sings “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your feelings,” the video cuts to images of the American flag, President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and the first and second ladies. The second and third were published by Team Trump, the official account of the Trump campaign. One, set to a father figure, plays to the lyric “This Empire Belongs to Me” with the caption “This Empire Belongs to @President Donald J. Trump,” while the other, which celebrates Melania Trump winning something called the Patriot of the Year Award, is powered by Opalite.

The Trump administration has found itself in risky waters for its use of popular music in the past. The White Stripes and the estate of Isaac Hayes have both attempted to sue the administration for using their music without permission, while artists including Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Rihanna, ABBA and Foo Fighters have issued statements demanding that Trump stop using their songs at campaign rallies and public appearances. Most recently, Olivia Rodrigo condemned the administration after the official DHS and White House Instagram account used her song All-American Bitch in a video promoting controversial deportation efforts (the song was later removed by Instagram).

But Swift has said nothing publicly. The silence is surprising from an artist known to be suing over unauthorized use of her music or likeness: She previously sued a theme park for playing her music without a license, sued Etsy sellers for using lyrics from her songs in unofficial merchandise, sued YouTube creators for copyright infringement and demanded retroactive songwriting credits from new artists (including Rodrigo). (Her representatives did not respond to a request for comment.)

It’s curious that Swift and her team haven’t issued a statement that distances her from a president mired in scandal and an administration criticized for censorship, violent immigration raids, and far-right policies. Once politically shy, she seemed to embrace and champion progressive values ​​so thoroughly in 2018 that her decision to speak out about politics became the narrative tentpole for her documentary Miss Americana. She has subsequently endorsed Democratic political candidates, supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election, and criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “I want to be on the right side of history,” she said at the Miss Americana pageant, seemingly defying the advice of team members including her father.

It is now unclear whether this statement still stands. If so, Swift seems less interested in letting us know: She did not denounce the ICE raids or comment on the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

It’s a position that doesn’t mesh with the positions of other celebrities who were vocally liberal and who are now silent on politics. Jennifer Lawrence recently said that she would no longer debate the president in public, because that would “add fuel to the fire that is tearing the country apart.” Instead, she said, “A lot of the films my production company produces are expressions of the political landscape. That’s how I feel like I can be useful.” Other stars who have endorsed Harris alongside Swift in 2024, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry, have similarly remained silent. Euphoria star Sidney Sweeney has refused to engage in charged political discourse, even after revealing he is a registered Republican.

Like Lawrence, Swift may believe that publicly opposing the Trump administration would further fracture an already crumbling country. Perhaps you quietly support those whose lives have been affected by government attacks on immigrants and minorities. And there’s a risk in speaking out: After Swift endorsed Harris, Trump said he “hates” Swift, and as the Jimmy Kimmel brawl showed, the government isn’t afraid to use its weight to silence critics.

However, the fear of retaliation has not silenced other stars: Rodrigo and Billie Eilish have both made their feelings about the Trump administration clear, as have artists including Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.

Of course, Swift has more to lose than most. Despite critical acclaim, The Life of a Showgirl has never been more popular, at least commercially. An upcoming Disney docuseries going behind the scenes of the Eras tour is highly anticipated. And then there’s her upcoming wedding to Travis Kelce. Their relationship has turned them into chauvinistic emblems for red-blooded (and red-hatted) Americans: the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk loudly agreed, while other MAGA voices suggested that their union would encourage Americans to procreate. It helped reshape Swift’s image so much that Trump even softened it, saying while congratulating the couple on their engagement: “I think she’s a wonderful person.”

The president may also see some of himself in Swift, the powerful businesswoman who releases multiple versions of her albums to generate additional revenue and secure high chart positions — seemingly designed to prevent other artists from reaching No. 1. It is clear that Swift’s interest now seems focused on preventing Spanish star Rosalía from recording a No. 1 album with Lux, by releasing a new and exclusive version of The Life of a Showgirl. If so, this money-seeking, competition-destroying approach to pop stardom parallels Trump’s profit-driven mentality and may even be self-interested in his protectionist economic policy.

Swift, as with companies like Disney, Meta, Paramount and Walmart, may see kissing the ring as economically beneficial. There’s also a whiff of conservatism to the material in Showgirl that feels in keeping with Trump 2.0: Cancelled! She stands up for those who have faced public backlash, while in Wi$h Li$t she imagines a lifestyle of a white picket fence, a basketball hoop and “having two kids / making the whole building look like you.”

It’s hard to forget the young woman in Miss Americana who passionately rejected the advice of those around her in order to speak up for what she believed was right. Whatever you think about celebrity influence on politics, Swift’s platform is so formidable that any public opposition to the Trump administration will count, whether it’s through her art or her actions. This may inflame an already fiery and divisive political climate, but its influence gives it the ability to mobilize thousands in rejecting increasingly reactionary and terrifying social and political norms.

But if Showgirl is any indication of Swift’s current interests, she’s never been more reclusive. He is vindictive, self-absorbed and unimaginative, the product of an artist who seems disconnected from the anxious state of the world. “I protect the family,” she sings in the song “Father Figure.” Once upon a time, you knew exactly what that meant. Now, it’s not so clear.