Elon Musk has set social media ablaze for the umpteenth time in a quick comment directed at Taylor Swift following her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris‘s candidature for the U.S. presidential election in 2024. What started as Swift’s political statement quickly went out of hand and turned into a social media firestorm when the raising of eyebrows at an offer from Musk set many aback.
It began when Swift, a highly publicized campaigner for progressive causes, took to Instagram to announce her endorsement of Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Swift labeled Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and praised her dedication to issues like reproductive rights and the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. She playfully signed off at the bottom of her post as a “Childless Cat Lady.”
This joke sign off was in response to earlier remarks from JD Vance, one of Donald Trump’s most prominent allies and running mates, that Democratic women were “childless cat ladies” in a plethora of new lows in his attempts to demean their political influence. Swift appropriates the label here into an empowering statement and a symbol of solidarity with other women.
Knowing full well how eccentric and inflammatory he can be online, ELon Musk did not disappoint. In a tweet that most definitely raised more than a few eyebrows, Musk tweeted:
“Fine Taylor. you win. I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”
Elon Musk Tweeted
Predictably, the tweet went viral almost immediately, not quite in the way Musk might have hoped: social media users quickly piled on, labeling his comment “creepy,” “gross,” and “inappropriate.” Many pointed out that Musk’s attempt at humor fell flat because of the serious political context of Swift’s original post.
Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz really highlighted her commitment to progressive issues such as reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections. This is in stark contrast to Musk’s tweet. Outside of this election, Musk has publicly supported Donald Trump, and his political leanings go more toward primary conservative libertarian ideals.
This ideological gap between the pop superstar and the tech mogul fed those reactions, with many Swift fans —many of whom share her progressive values—defending her against Musk, whom some accuse of trying to derail a critical conversation about women’s rights and political activism.
