Team Harris-Walz is really milking that Taylor Swift endorsement with the perfect merch

The first Harris/Trump debate has come and gone, and it had something of an unlikely outcome: Taylor Swift officially endorsing Kamala Harris. Now, Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, are launching some perfectly patriotic merch in their latest effort to appeal to Gen Z and Swifties alike.

To many, last night’s presidential debate between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump wasn’t even close, with the current vice president grilling Trump on all matters, from abortion to the economy. As usual, the debate generated dozens of meme-worthy moments (“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs”) and internet chatter, giving both candidates the chance to talk about relevant social issues for the first time since Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

And somehow, Taylor Swift found a way to insert herself into the situation. God forbid another woman takes the spotlight! In all seriousness, celebrity endorsements are more important than ever, what with the rise of social media and its impact on an entire generation of young voters. And understandably, the Harris-Walz camp is taking full advantage of the Taylor Swift of it all.

Following endorsement, Kamala Harris’ Campaign is selling Taylor Swift-coded friendship bracelets

After taking to the debate stage (she walked off to “The Man,” BTW) Harris might’ve been surprised to see the world’s biggest pop superstar taking to social media to give her highly-coveted endorsement. In a lengthy message posted to Instagram, Swift wrote, “As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country,” adding, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

As mentioned in her message, AI-generated images of Swift donning Trump gear led hundreds of smooth-brained MAGA Republicans to believe that the singer had endorsed him, with Trump even reposting said images to his personal social media accounts. Swift, who publicly backed Joe Biden in 2020, wasn’t too pleased, of course. Look what you made her do.

Now, team Walz-Harris is fully milking Swift’s endorsement—and wisely so. Last night, the campaign’s official website dropped some hot new merch following the debate: beaded Taylor Swift-style friendship bracelets that read “Harris-Walz 24.” Swapping bracelets is a fan-favorite concert tradition, and acts as a reference to the Midnights song, “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”

You can place your pre-orders now, as blue and black bracelets will be available to purchase on the campaign’s official website starting September 24 at $20 a pop. All profits will go towards the Harris Victory Fund.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, you can’t deny that the Walz-Harris campaign has been knocking it out of the park recently when it comes to marketing—specifically, when launching the kind of ironic, self-aware merch that caters towards Gen Z micro-trends. The camo Walz-Harris hat, inspired by fellow pop girlie Chappell Roan, sold out in mere minutes, and I’m 99% positive the Taylor Swift-coded friendship bracelets will go even quicker.

Taylor Swift backing Kamala Harris IS a big deal, actually

Support for the Harris-Walz ticket is only growing thanks to Trump’s poor debate performance and some truly baffling statements from his VP pick, J.D. Vance, and their bevy of billionaire BFFs—and yeah, MAGA Republicans aren’t exactly doing much to remedy that. “I need to know Elon Musk’s opinions on Taylor Swift choosing to be child-free!” said literally no one ever. (#ElonIsCreepy is currently trending on X. Ha!)

Obviously, the Cruel Summer singer has amassed a huge (and extremely loyal) fanbase over the years, making her, without a doubt, one of the most influential figures in pop culture. And if she can sell out entire stadiums during her Eras Tour, then it’s not absurd to think that she can rally U.S. voters into hitting the polls this November. Politicians aren’t ignorant enough to understand that a Swift endorsement is crucial to snagging young voters’ attention, so even if you’re rolling your eyes at the entire situation, it would be unwise to underestimate her impact—are you ready for it?