Bette Midler has accused former president Donald Trump of “putting a hit” out on singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and suggested she should sue him.
The actor and singer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on September 15, “#Trump rage-tweeting his hate for #TaylorSwift is not just dangerous, it’s illegal. He is putting out a hit on her, and we all know it. He wants his minions to do his dirty work, and you know they will. If she is hurt, he will deny that he knows anything about it, as he always does, ‘I don’t know, I haven’t heard.’ She should sue the diapers off him, and I hope she does. #SwiftiesUnite.”
Trump has not called for violence against Swift, but a few hours earlier he posted on his social media platform Truth Social, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”
Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on Instagram last week after the presidential debate, dispelling Trump’s previous AI-generated images suggesting she had endorsed him.
Bette Midler attending the opening night of “Some Like It Hot” on Broadway on December 11, 2022 at the Shubert Theatre in New York, New York. Midler recently posted on X criticizing Donald Trump’s comments about Taylor Swift, and encouraging the singer to sue him.
Jason Mendez/Getty Images
Newsweek has reached out to Midler’s publicist, a representative for Swift, and Trump’s campaign for comment via email.
Midler’s post on X gained 1.3 million views, 43,000 likes, 10,000 reposts, and 4,600 comments, and many users supported her comments, agreeing that Trump’s criticism of Swift has the potential to incite violence.
However, other users criticized Midler in the comments, suggesting that her post criticizing him is also encouraging violence against him. Some pointed to the fact that her post came the same day as a second assassination attempt against Trump occurred at his golf club in Palm Springs, Florida.
Known for her work across film, theatre, and music, Midler has been a long-time critic of Trump, and had a previous post denigrating him go viral in April, as Newsweek previously reported.
The actress and singer has expressed her support for Harris and recently wrote on X, “Ahhhh. What a great week for decent Americans. #Kamala went in as the Understudy and emerged as a #STAR! Yes, I think I will have that second glass of wine. I don’t need a second debate! She’s great!”
Trump’s post about Swift followed his criticism of her last week, as he spoke about her endorsement on Fox News and said, “It was only a matter of time.”
He said, “You couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. But [Swift is] a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” as Newsweek previously reported. Swift endorsed Joe Biden over Trump in the 2020 election.
The former president has been vocal about his thoughts regarding the singer-songwriter for years, dating back to 2018, when she became more publicly vocal about her political beliefs, according to Rolling Stone.
Swift’s fans have recently encouraged her to take legal action against Trump following his campaign’s release of new merchandise, including a shirt that closely resembles the merchandise Swift sells at her Eras tour concerts, Newsweek previously reported.
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