Donald Trump is no stranger to a celebrity feud, with incendiary comments towards everyone from Madonna to Samuel L. Jackson being a common occurrence for the president.
However, he has stoked the fires of one particular feud more than any other, causing an army of fans to hit back at his comments. Trump's feelings toward Taylor Swift have changed significantly since her astronomical rise to fame and his entry into politics.
The 78-year-old is set to arrive at the Super Bowl on Sunday, marking the first time a sitting president has attended the big game. Taylor will also be in attendance to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who will take on the Philadelphia Eagles with his team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
When asked how he felt about the president's upcoming appearance, Travis remained diplomatic and shared his excitement about the event.
"That's awesome. It's a great honor," he said at a press conference. "I think, you know, no matter who the president is, I know I'm excited because it's the biggest game of my life, you know, and having the president there, it's the best country in the world. So, that'd be pretty cool."
While Trump seems to like the NFL tight end, he is certainly not a fan of the pop megastar. Join HELLO! as we look back at everything Trump has said about Taylor ahead of the event.
Trump's Swiftie status
© GettyBefore the "Cruel Summer" singer began to speak out about politics, the father of five was seemingly a Swiftie, like the rest of the world. "@taylorswift13 Thanks for the beautiful picture — you are fantastic!" he tweeted in August 2012. While it is unclear what picture he is referring to, Trump was firmly on board with the star.
After Taylor's 2012 breakup with Connor Kennedy, Trump weighed in. "Re: Taylor and Conor — great news for Taylor!" he tweeted.
In October of that year, he couldn't have been happier for her after she was announced as a co-host of the Grammy nominations special. "Glad to hear that @taylorswift13 will be co-hosting the Grammy nominations special on 12.5," he tweeted. "Taylor is terrific!"
Taylor gets political
© Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesTrump's appreciation of Taylor quickly soured in 2018, after she spoke out in support of the Tennessee Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen and said that the Republican representative Marsha Blackburn's voting record was "appalling" ahead of the midterm elections.
"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," she shared. "I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country."
"I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love," she added.
Aware of Taylor's incredible influence, Trump was unhappy with this comment and told White House reporters, "Let's just say I like Taylor's music about 25% less now, okay?"
A souring relationship
© Getty ImagesThe president's comments on the 35-year-old have grown more frequent since 2023, when he began gearing up for his election campaign.
After Taylor and Travis went public with their romance in September of that year, Trump was quick to weigh in on the lovebirds. "I wish the best for both of them," he told the Daily Caller. "I hope they enjoy their life, maybe together, maybe not — most likely not."
Just two months later, he claimed that the song he recorded with several of the January 6 insurrectionists had beaten Taylor on the charts. "When that came out, it went to the number one song, it was beating everybody," he said at a Houston rally. "It beat Taylor Swift, it beat Miley Cyrus, who was number one and two," he continued. "They were number one and two, we knocked them off for a long time."
© Getty Images for The Recording AIn February 2024, he speculated that the blonde bombshell would not be casting her vote for Joe Biden in the election race, and slipped in a comment about her NFL star boyfriend.
"I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists," he said on Truth Social. "Joe Biden didn't do anything for Taylor, and never will. There's no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money."
"Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can't stand me!" he added. Trump broke from his usual disdain for the singer when speaking to Variety in June, calling her "very beautiful".
© Getty Images"I think she's liberal," he said. "She probably doesn't like Trump. I hear she's very talented. I think she's very beautiful, actually — unusually beautiful!"
"She's legitimately liberal? It's not an act?" he added. "It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal."
The 78-year-old landed in hot water after he shared a fake image of Taylor fans wearing "Swifties for Trump" shirts, followed by the "Bad Blood" singer herself wearing a hat that read, "Taylor Wants You to Vote For Donald Trump".
"I accept!" he wrote. Trump quickly backtracked on the move when speaking to The Evening Edit, saying that he didn't generate the AI images. "Somebody came out. They said, oh, look at this," he commented. "These were all made up by other people. A.I. is always very dangerous in that way."
The nail in the coffin
© Getty ImagesTaylor broke the internet in September after endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris in the election race; Trump, of course, did not take this lightly.
"I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It was just a question of time…She's a very liberal person, she seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace," he said on Fox & Friends.
He then proceeded to share his thoughts on her close friend and wife of Patrick Mahomes, Travis' teammate. "I like Brittany, I think Brittany's great," he said. "Brittany got a lot of news last week, she's a big MAGA fan. That's the one I like much better than Taylor Swift."
Trump seemed to have reached the end of his tether just days later, simply writing, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" on Truth Social.
