Harris and Trump have leant on celebrities to further their narrative – but has it made a difference?
Across America, Taylor Swift is adored but her politics divides even her own fans – with one insisting he will be voting for Donald Trump, saying “no musician or anybody famous” will swing his vote.
A huge roadside sign of Donald Trump announces arrival into York County, Pennsylvania. It depicts the former president in a now iconic image, ear bloodied, being hustled off the stage by secret service agents after a failed assassination attempt in this state. “Pennsylvania, fight back,” it reads, “Make sure you vote November 5th.”
On well-manicured lawns, “Trump/Vance 2024” signs far outnumber those for the Harris/Walz administration. The borough of Hanover has voted overwhelmingly for Trump the last two election cycles. But from a bar on the high street, the faint sound of a well-known supporter of Kamala Harris is spilling out.
Inside, the Fat Bat brewing company is hosting a Taylor Swift-themed brunch. Teenagers pose for pictures with lifesize cardboard cutouts of Swift and younger girls make friendship bracelets while their mums chat over pancakes and lemonade.
Across this country, Swift is adored but her politics divides even her own fans. In the summer, she endorsed Harris on social media, calling the vice president a “steady-handed, gifted leader”.
Rumours suggest she could appear together with Harris on stage on the final day of campaigning in Pennsylvania, a key battleground and Swift’s home state.
Her backing of Harris is an awkward subject in the Nicholls household, a family of Swifties who have all worn merchandise from her Eras’ concert tour to brunch. Dad – Warren – is a Trump supporter, daughter – Sarah – is voting for Harris, and mum – Prinzie – is yet to decide.
“I think that anybody who’s a singer, musician, athlete, should just stay out of politics,” says Warren, “it kind of turns some people off to wanting to see them perform as well.”
“I’ll be voting on Tuesday for Donald Trump,” he adds, “no musician or anybody famous to swing my vote.”
I wonder if it will affect his feelings about Swift. “Oh, no,” he says, “I’m a Swifty. Even if my daughter and I don’t agree on all things political, that’s a thing that we have in common.”
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Sarah is 21 and voting for the first time. She will cast her ballot for Harris, she says, because of her support for reproductive rights and her personality.
“I think it’s great that Taylor is coming out for Harris,” says Sarah, “I do think it will impact the way Gen Z votes because of how famous she is, but also just because of how big of a role model she is for people.”
Mum, Prinzie, has two other daughters aged 23 and 18. With one day to go, she says she has still not decided how to vote. “I’m weighing up a couple of things,” she says, “I think being a female, I’m looking at all of that and I don’t like everything that Donald Trump says.”
“I’m also looking at where our economy is right now, and who’s going to be the best choice to get us in a better place. Donald Trump did a good job with that last time,” she adds.
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A recent advert from the Harris campaign suggested some women may conceal their vote from their husbands. But Prinzie says that is absolutely not the case for her.
“He’s in a house full of women,” she says, “he knows we’re strong independent women, and we’ll vote how we feel best represents us. He’s very supportive of that.”
Even if Swift doesn’t appear on stage with Harris, the vice president is drenching her last day on the road with celebrity. She’ll be joined by Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and many more in rallies across Pennsylvania.
Trump doesn’t have the same stable of A-list celebrities backing him but has also been targeting a specific audience. Former wrestler Hulk Hogan is a high-profile supporter and Trump took three hours out of his schedule to feature on the Joe Rogan podcast, which is hugely popular with a young male audience.
“Politics and culture collide around big election moments, and we’re seeing that right now,” says Jess O’Connell, a Democratic Party strategist, “the fact that so many celebrities are using their voice to share who they voted for.”
“I think celebrities can be used in a way that helps meet people where they’re at,” she adds, “but they can also be used in a way that divides and I think that’s on brand for both these campaigns right now.”
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Both candidates have assembled a cast of celebrities to help further their narrative. The Harris campaign is leaning more heavily on star power. But it can be a double-edged sword. Too many stars can look out of touch, when the aim is to be grounded.
On the night, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive exit poll and vote-counting results from every state, county and demographic across America through its US-partner network NBC.
You can find out more about Sky News’ coverage here.
