The t-shirt’s release came less than 24 hours after Trump dismissed Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris
Fresh off the blow of losing Taylor Swift’s highly coveted endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump is entering his revenge era: the Republican candidate’s campaign is now advertising t-shirts inspired by the pop star’s tour merchandise.
“Calling all Swifties for Trump,” the campaign’s official X $TWTR account posted on Thursday morning. “Get your Trump Era shirt today.” The post links to the campaign’s website which references Swift’s 2017 single “Look What You Made Me Do.”
The t-shirt plays on Swift’s multi-colored Eras Tour posters, which feature photographs of the pop star spanning different phases of her career – from her early days as a teen country singer to her present as a global pop icon.
Trump’s parody apparel features the same color scheme, though notably the photos appear to be pulled entirely from the last decade, rather than showcasing multiple eras of the former president’s life. The shirts go for a minimum of $45, but the campaign website recommends that supporters pay $75, if they believe that “Trump is the best president of all time.”
The t-shirt’s release came less than 24 hours after Trump dismissed Swift’s endorsement of Harris, saying, “she seems to always endorse a Democrat. And she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
Still, the Trump campaign latching onto Swiftian branding, highlights an ongoing problem for the Republican candidate: while Democrats are flush in pop culture capital, Republicans have few mainstream stars to highlight.
Just one hour after Swift posted her Harris endorsement to Instagram (META) the campaign was already selling beaded bracelets emblazoned with the words “Harris Walz 24.” In less than a day, the bracelets sold out. This is not the first instance of the pop culture savvy Harris campaign taking merchandising cues from famous musicians. From the first days of her campaign, Harris’s team has embraced the style of Gen Z and Millennial artists.
After British singer Charli xcx said that the vice president “IS brat” — a reference to her album of the same name — the campaign embraced the lime green “Brat” aesthetic. And when Harris announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be her running mate, the campaign raised close to a million dollars, in less than 24 hours, selling Chappell Roan-inspired hats.
The Democratic National Convention was hailed for its rollicking roll call – featuring a different popular song for each state. In the same month, Trump was told off by Beyoncé, the Foo Fighters, and the White Stripes for using their music. His campaign has received complaints from so many artists that there’s a Wikipedia page devoted to the subject.
In the text of Swift’s Harris endorsement, she noted that she decided to publicly support Harris, partially because AI footage of her “falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run” was posted to the president’s website.
Swift has not yet released a statement in response to the Trump campaign’s shirts – which could be protected as a parody under fair use laws – many online have already pointed to the potential backlash from the star’s devoted fanbase.
“I hope you get sued within an inch of your existence,” one fan replied. “In your cease & desist era,” said another.
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