Taylor Swift's Political 'Awakening' Reaches a New Level

The singer/songwriter sits down with the 'Guardian'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2019 12:05 PM CDT
Taylor Swift's Political 'Awakening' Reaches a New Level
Singer Taylor Swift performs on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage in Central Park on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

When it comes to politics, Taylor Swift isn't in the best of moods. The 29-year-old singer/songwriter tells the Guardian about her latest thoughts on President Trump, abortion, and her own mental health—all of which have rung alarm bells for her. She describes the US political climate as "gaslighting the American public into being like, 'If you hate the president, you hate America.'" She goes on: "We're a democracy—at least, we're supposed to be—where you're allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that [Trump] thinks this is an autocracy." In other remarks:

  • "I was just trying to protect my mental health—not read the news very much, go cast my vote, tell people to vote," she said of a difficult period in 2016, when her mother's cancer relapsed and her silence over the federal election led some conservatives to adopt her as an icon. "I just knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn't. I was literally about to break."
  • At the time, she felt "just useless. And maybe even like a hindrance," also saying she was "really remorseful for not saying anything."
  • "Obviously, I'm pro-choice," said Swift as lawmakers in Tennessee voted a nearly complete statewide ban on abortion. "I just can’t believe this is happening." She promised to "do everything I can for 2020."
(Swift says she also plans to re-record her songbook.)

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