Don't Blame Me: Taylor Swift's influence attracts conspiracy theories

WASHINGTON, United States — A Fox News host suggested this week that Taylor Swift is a "front for a covert political agenda," echoing disinformation that has percolated in right-wing circles for months — and which experts say will likely get worse before the 2024 US election.

The Jesse Watters segment warning Swift could be a "Pentagon asset" offered the latest conspiracy theory exploiting the singer-songwriter's fame and her past support for Democrats such as President Joe Biden.

Attacks targeting Swift in recent months have ranged from personal barbs to accusations of witchcraft and speculation about her political involvement.

"Have you ever wondered why or how she blew up like this? Well, around four years ago, the Pentagon psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) meeting," Watters said Tuesday, resurfacing a clip from a 2019 summit by NATO's cyber defense hub.

But the video's only mention of Swift comes during a presentation on how social influence could counter misinformation, when a researcher unaffiliated with NATO cited the singer as an example of a popular celebrity.

"As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told AFP, referencing one of Swift's hits.

Watters also brought up a reported traffic surge on Vote.org in September — immediately after Swift posted an Instagram story encouraging fans to participate in National Voter Registration Day — to posit that someone "got to her from the White House or from wherever."

Reached by AFP, Swift publicist Tree Paine pointed to the nonprofit CEO's response to Watters's claims.

"Our partnership with @taylorswift13 is helping all Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box," Andrea Hailey said on X, formerly Twitter. "Not a psy-op or a Pentagon asset."

Watters — whose primetime show is the second-most watched cable news show in the United States, drawing an average audience of nearly 2.5 million viewers — conceded later during the segment that he "obviously has no evidence" for the claims.

Fox News declined to comment on the record for this story.

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