Putting her platform to use. Taylor Swift had no qualms about calling out President Donald Trump on Twitter after he suggested that protesters in Minneapolis could be shot.
“Taylor felt it was necessary to speak up against Trump and express her morals and values,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “She realizes how powerful her voice is and wanted to use it for the greater good. She wanted to speak out against inequalities in the world and support minorities, while also showing how anti-Trump she is.”
The “You Need to Calm Down” singer, 30, believes the president, 73, is “sexist and anti-women’s rights,” according to the source — “two issues she is also passionate about.”
Swift made headlines on Friday, May 29, when she tweeted directly at Trump, writing, “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump.”
Within less than five hours, the post became her most-liked tweet of all time with one-million-plus “likes.”
After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 29, 2020
The 10-time Grammy winner’s tweet came shortly after Twitter accused the former Celebrity Apprentice host of “glorifying violence” in a post about protests and riots in Minneapolis, where resident George Floyd died in police custody on Monday, May 25.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted shortly after midnight on Friday. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Twitter made an unprecedented move by adding a warning to the real estate mogul’s post that read, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
The White House’s official Twitter account shared the same “shooting starts” message, which was also flagged by the social media platform.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey approved the decision after a late-night discussion with company officials, according to The New York Times. The move came one day after Trump signed an executive order to “defend free speech” on social media, which he called “one of the gravest dangers” in American history.
Swift, for her part, remained silent on political issues for years. However, she spoke out for the first time in October 2018 to endorse two Democratic candidates in Tennessee.