Jen Psaki Mocks Fox News-Promoted Conspiracy That Taylor Swift Is a Democratic Plant: ‘Shake It Off!’ | Video
Jen Psaki has a message Monday night for conservatives endorsing the conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift is a Democratic plant ahead of the 2024 presidential election: “Shake it off!”
The MSNBC journalist opened an “Inside With Jen Psaki” segment on Swift’s history in politics by breaking down how the biggest pop star in the world went from being “notably and publicly apolitical” in 2018 to a figure that some conservatives, including Fox News’ Jesse Watters and former GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, propose to be a nefarious operative to get President Joe Biden to a second term.
Such theories come not only after her omnipresent popularity in pop culture and beyond with her Eras tour last year, but also in her support of LGBTQ Americans through the Equality Act, her endorsement of Biden in 2020 and her raising the alarm on the impact of overturning Roe vs. Wade in 2022.
Still, Psaki said, “It’s not like she is some rabid democratic activist. She is a very famous person who occasionally expresses her views — again, how dare she! — and encourages people to get engaged.”
The host then pulled up tweets and media clips demonstrating the “complete meltdown” some Republicans are having over Swift’s political engagement and only growing fame.
“What’s happening to Taylor Swift is not organic,” Stephen Miller cryptically tweeted on Dec. 6.
“Taylor Swift is going to come out in the presidential election and she’s going to mobilize her fans,” Charlie Kirk said on his eponymous show Nov. 8.
“So is Swift a front for a covert political agenda? ‘Primetime’ obviously has no evidence — if we did, we’d share it,” Watters said on Jan. 9. “But we’re curious because the pop star that endorsed Biden is urging millions of her followers to vote.”
“Guys, I mean, are you all OK? Seriously. Take a walk. Shake it off, as she would say,” Psaki in response to the clips. “I mean, as the right-wing conspiracy goes, stick with me here, Taylor Swift might just be an operative for the Democratic Party. Some, like Jesse Watters, who you just saw there, would even call her a psyop. And Jesse, I know you are on TV right now, but if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you.”
Psaki then broke down the principles of the theory, which hypothesizes that Swift’s popularity “is being propped up and wielded by the powers that be in order to unleash her fans as Democratic voters and hand Joe Biden the 2024 presidential election”
“If only it worked that way,” Psaki said. “First off, yes, let’s all acknowledge: Taylor Swift absolutely has unbelievable influence — just ask my 8-year-old — as one of the biggest stars on the planet. Why wouldn’t Joe Biden want her endorsement? But where folks on the right make it super, super weird is by painting this as some sort of intricate, deep, dark conspiracy.”
She then pulled up a tweet from Ramaswamy indicating that February’s Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs was rigged in favor of the Chiefs, the team of Swift’s beau Travis Kelce.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” Ramaswamy said. “And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall.”
I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 29, 2024
“What are you talking about?” Psaki said. “Also, he’s clearly not a football fan. I mean, it could be that the game was rigged, Vivek Ramaswamy, as part of an elaborate scheme to get Joe Biden more votes. Or it might’ve been that Baltimore had some bad fourth quarter turnovers — if you watch the game, again, you’re probably not a football fan.
“But for an increasingly shocking number of folks on the right, there’s always a mastermind,” the host concluded. “There’s always some larger big state, big institution behind the curtain keeping conservatives and Donald Trump down. They’ll stare directly at conspiracy, but never in the mirror.”
Watch the full “Inside With Jen Psaki” clip in the video above.
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