Taylor Swift has accused Donald Trump of “gaslighting the American public” and stated that the US President doesn’t believe in democracy.
Swift, who released new album ‘Lover’ today (August 23), also explained why she stayed silent during the 2016 US election campaign and vowed to do “everything I can” to help voters oust Trump in the 2020 election.
Speaking to The Guardian, Swift said Trump is “gaslighting the American public into being, like: ‘If you hate the President, you hate America.'”
She continued: “We’re a democracy – or at least we’re supposed to be – where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think he thinks this is an autocracy.”
During the 2016 election, Swift unwittingly became championed by the right-wing in the US after refusing to back any candidate. After confirming she would have backed defeated Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, Swift explained she was too upset by her mother’s cancer to want to be in the public eye.
“I was just trying to protect my mental health – not read the news very much, go cast my vote, tell people to vote,” Swift said. “I just knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn’t. I was literally about to break. I will do everything I can for 2020.”
Swift also believed her public image at the time would have been counter-productive in any political campaigning. She said: “I just felt useless, and maybe even like a hindrance… I feel really remorseful for not saying anything.”
Swift’s comments come as she also released a video for the title track of ‘Lover’. The album features Dixie Chicks, Brendon Urie and a sample of an interview with Idris Elba, as well as the song ‘Cruel Summer’ being co-written with St Vincent.