The second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has spawned jokes that disgruntled Taylor Swift fans could have been behind the attack.
The shooting attempt over the weekend, which saw gunman Ryan Wesley Routh come within 500 yards of Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, took place just hours after the Republican presidential nominee posted that he “hated Taylor Swift” on Truth Social.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 13, 2024. Taylor Swift on September 11, 2024, in Elmont, New York. Less than a week after Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that he hates Swift.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP and Taylor Hill/Getty Images
With just five hours between the post and the assassination attempt, many observers jokingly attributed the shooting to Taylor Swift fans, or “Swifties”, unhappy with the former president’s comments.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign team and a Taylor Swift representative for comment on this story.
“Swifties are really not to be played with,” one account on Twitter/X wrote, posting Trump’s original Truth Social post next to the statement issued by the campaign following the shooting, which stated that the former president was safe.
Another viewer joked that “the Swifties wasted no time,” receiving more than three million views in less than a day.
“I think it wasn’t the Swifties because Swifties never miss,” another viral post read.
Routh was identified shortly after being taken into custody by Palm Beach County Police. His motives for the attempted assassination are yet to be confirmed by authorities.
According to the Trump campaign, the former president did not sustain any injuries in the shooting. Trump is scheduled to resume campaigning tomorrow with a rally in Flint, Michigan.
In a statement, Trump added: “I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again.”
Earlier this month, Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris following her performance in the ABC presidential debate with Trump. In an Instagram post, in which Swift did not directly mention Trump, she praised Harris as “a steady-handed, gifted leader” who could accomplish more by leading with “calm and not chaos.”
The endorsement was long-sought-after by the Harris campaign, and immediately prompted Swift-themed campaign merchandise to be produced.
The Harris campaign also quickly started using Taylor Swift songs to poke fun at Trump on the trail, calling him “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” in refererence to a track from Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
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