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Glamor couple Kelce/Swift (in Las Vegas on February 11th)

Photo: John G. Mabanglo / EPA

In the camp of Donald Trump's die-hard supporters, the spreaders of conspiracy myths don't exactly have a hard time. From Pizzagate to microchips in Covid vaccines to the dangerous fantasies of QAnon supporters: there are a lot of crude ideas that find a disturbing number of supporters. In their eyes, the masterminds are - of course - the hated Democrats, the billionaire George Soros, even more hated minorities - or all of them together.

It's no surprise that a new alleged conspiracy is also very well received. In the spotlight: pop superstar Taylor Swift, her boyfriend Travis Kelce and of course Joe Biden. Conservative to right-wing media in the USA are spreading the idea that Swift is being encouraged by the Pentagon or the White House to manipulate voters in favor of the Democrats. The fact that Kelce won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday was of course also controlled by dark people behind him.

As far-fetched as it may sound, a significant proportion of voters are caught up in this fantasy. According to a survey by the renowned Monmouth University Polling Institute, almost a fifth of Americans believe this. Trump supporters are, unsurprisingly, heavily represented in this fifth.

Of the people surveyed, 18 percent said they believed in the conspiracy myth, said Monmouth. 46 percent had at least heard of it. "Many people only heard about the matter when we surveyed them - but then found it quite plausible," said institute director Patrick Murray, according to the Guardian, adding: "Welcome to the 2024 election."

Behind the agitation in the right-wing media is likely concern in the conservative camp that Swift will officially support Joe Biden. With her chart records, Grammys, a sold-out world tour, the most commercially successful concert film of all time and almost 280 million Instagram followers, Swift is probably the most influential woman in America right now.

Hordes of fans follow their idol

And Kelce's team, the Kansas City Chiefs, won the Super Bowl for the third time in five years. Some fear and others hope that this will result in an influential team – also politically.

The self-made billionaire Swift is followed by an army of passionate “Swifties,” as her fans call themselves. An “endorsement” from Taylor Swift would probably be followed by tens of thousands. Since her first election recommendation in her home state of Tennessee almost six years ago, Swift has been supporting the Democrats; before the 2020 election, she already spoke out for Biden.

The megastar is the new enemy of the right-wing scene, even before Swift has even commented on Biden - which she also failed to do at the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Biden's opponents are spreading absurd conspiracy stories to damage Swift.

The question is whether right-wing circles are doing themselves a favor by messing with Swift and her devoted fans. If they trigger such a defiance reaction, it could be enough to influence the election result in one of the crucial swing states. In the direction of the Democrats.

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