The recently concluded U.S. Open final ended up getting some extra attention this weekend, thanks to an appearance by Taylor Swift and her controversial company.
On Sunday, September 8, Swift attended the men’s final with a group comprised of her boyfriend Travis Kelce, Danielle Haim, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and his wife Brittany Mahomes.
While it’s not unusual for high-profile tennis tournaments to have celebrity sightings, Swift’s appearance along with Brittany Mahomes was met with some discomfort on social media. Criticism arose at seeing Swift publicly rubbing shoulders with an apparent MAGA supporter, leading to X users questioning the Folklore hitmaker’s political allegiance.
Over the last few weeks, Mahomes seems to have outed herself as an unapologetic Donald Trump supporter, liking an Instagram post of the Republican presidential candidate that spelled out his policy wishlist. While she unliked the post later, she soon liked a pro-Trump comment. Mahomes, who is the co-owner of the Kansas City Current women’s soccer team, drew considerable criticism on social media for her political choice, to which she had responded:
“Contrary to the tone of the world today … You can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind.”
Following the debacle, Trump praised Mahomes on his social media website, Truth Social, giving her a shoutout while exclaiming it was “nice” that she wants “to save” the U.S. from “DOOM.”
Swift had just recently drawn conservatives’ ire for not sitting with Mahomes during the Chiefs’ opening game of the 2024 NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens. The assumption was that Swift was distancing herself from Mahomes after the Trump ordeal. That now appears not to be the case.
This isn’t the first time fans have been critical of Swift’s apparent friendship with Brittany Mahomes. In 2023, Mahomes defended her brother-in-law, Jackson, after a video was released appearing to show him sexually assaulting a local restaurant owner. Brittany Mahomes responded to the outcry from the Kansas City community and beyond by posting a message to Instagram telling those upset to “just shut up.”
Taylor Swift voicing her support for either party could make an impact at the polls, considering her influence on America from a cultural perspective. Moreover, many of her fans simply want to know that she still holds the values she espoused with her 2020 endorsement of Joe Biden and in her documentary Miss Americana.
Either way, this U.S. Open appearance is a gift to Republicans, who are likely to milk the most out of the pictures of Swift and Mahomes spending time together.
Published: Sep 10, 2024 03:20 pm