View Comments
Taylor Swift issued criticism of President Donald Trump on Friday, criticizing the president’s response to the Minneapolis protests and the police killing of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who had pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck — a story that has captivated the country in recent days.
What’s going on:
- Swift tweeted her criticism against Trump on Friday morning.
- She wrote: “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.”
- Swift’s tweet is a direct response to Trump’s tweets late Thursday night in response to protests, looting and riots out in Minneapolis.
- Trump tweeted: “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. 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. Thank you!”
- As I reported for the Deseret News, Twitter ended up restricting the tweet’s visibility, saying it was “glorifying violence.”
Swift’s history with politics
- Swift hasn’t always been the most vocal when it comes to politics. In fact, she remained hesitant to speak out about political issues until she campaigned for the Democrats in Tennessee during the 2018 midterm elections.
- Per Reuters, Trump criticized Swift at the time, saying: “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25%t less now, OK?”