688

Trump Suddenly Looks Very Afraid of Being Sued by Taylor Swift (newrepublic.com)

submitted 2 years ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

111 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Donald Trump is trying to brush off the fact that he shared A.I.-generated images of Taylor Swift endorsing his campaign to his Truth Social account earlier this week, now claiming that he doesn’t know “anything about them.”

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top new old

[+] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 167 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

[deleted]

[-] UnpopularCrow@lemmy.world 154 points 2 years ago

She did respond and said she wanted to wait until after her tour so her fans were safe. She is definitely alluding to an endorsement as well.

Here is the quote:

"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," Swift wrote. "In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.”

https://www.themarysue.com/taylor-swift-owes-us-nothing/

[-] Chocrates@lemmy.world 102 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

When is her tour over?

Edit:

It commenced on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, and is set to conclude on December 8, 2024, in Vancouver, consisting of 149 shows that span five continents.

Welp, either she changes her mind or it'll be too late to do anything.

[-] 2piradians@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago

Maybe she just wants to stay out of it. I think that's responsible since Meal Team 6/Y'all Qaeda attacking her fans is a real possibility.

[-] Chocrates@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago

For sure, her quotes though seemed to Indicate to me that she wanted to voice her opinion but not until she could do it without affecting her tour

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 42 points 2 years ago

Ah yes the famous "let the terrorists frighten you into silence" strategy

[-] ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago

That's bullshit. Just because it's not convenient for our political strategy doesn't mean she has to risk her safety or the safety of her fans by further involving herself.

If she speaks out against the maniacal right there is a greater than zero chance that many innocent people other than her will be hurt. It would not be the first time.

load more comments (2 replies)

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] boatswain@infosec.pub 31 points 2 years ago

... she's proudly left leaning.

She's a billionaire. She's no more left leaning than Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. She just flies socially progressive flags.

[-] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 47 points 2 years ago

She made a billion by selling tickets to huge venues all over the world where she performed.

She actually did work to get rich, unlike Bezos, who steals his wealth from his workers.

I guarantee she exploits people like any other capitalist, but there are different types of billionaires.

load more comments (8 replies)

[-] dariusj18@lemmy.world 38 points 2 years ago

I'd say that her bonus payout to her tour staff shows that isn't the case.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 years ago

I'd argue there's a pretty big difference between someone like Bezos and someone like swift. Specifically, it's almost impossible to make a billion dollar business without exploiting people, and Bezos definitely exploited the hell out of people.

In contrast, I don't think it would be accurate to say that Swift made her money by exploiting people. Of the ethical ways to make money, I would think selling albums that you wrote and performed, and tickets to concerts that you're performing would rank pretty highly.
Additionally, a significant portion of her wealth is the valuation of her music catalog being extremely high on account of being a very popular musician.

I'm not saying she's the most left person in the world or anything, but not aggressively exploiting people, giving a lot of money to charities, and actively championing progressive causes definitely classifies someone as "left leaning" in my book.

[-] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 2 years ago

Billionaires should not exist, full stop. They literally cannot spend that amount of money.

She could lower the cost of her music, her tour tickets, merchandise...

I love Taylor Swift too but just because she has progressive views doesn't mean she didn't extract wealth from people and is hoarding it for herself.

I'm willing to eat my hat if she donates 2/3 of her wealth right now and promises to never have more than a few million in total assets.

But she isn't. And that makes her a bad billionaire.

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] dhork@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's entirely possible that Taylor's legal team already got in touch, discreetly, and warned him to cut that shit out, or else she will unload a can of legal whoop-ass on him. She is under no obligation to endorse anyone. Whatever her political beliefs are, she may have made the purposeful choice to stay out of it. And she may not want to get involved in a lawsuit over this, unless she has to to protect her brand.

Which may also explain why now he "doesn't know anything about it". Denial is his go-to when he is caught.

[-] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 19 points 2 years ago

Either way, those pictures have a very high likelihood of causing reputational (and, by extension, financial) harm by alienating a chunk of her fan base who may think she endorses his viewpoints. Especially when paired with his post implying she endorsed him.

I bet she could even argue that him forcing her to take a position publicly against him also constitutes financial harm, because of the possibility of it alienating any of her fans that were Trump supporters.

load more comments (4 replies)

load more comments (5 replies)

[-] MehBlah@lemmy.world 140 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

He has pissed off an actual billionaire.

[-] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 44 points 2 years ago

Isn't that one rule of being rich, don't piss off the other rich people?

Because you either end up dead or poor which to some can be worse

[-] GladiusB@lemmy.world 34 points 2 years ago

One that doesn't like him and knows how to sue the shit out of people. It's a war that she can win too.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] zcd@lemmy.ca 82 points 2 years ago

Taylor Swift is a real billionaire, not a dude cosplaying as one. She got real lawyers

[-] BlucifersVeinyAnus@sh.itjust.works 73 points 2 years ago

I’m willing to bet she has the kind of good lawyers who only work for people who pay them, too.

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago

🔥

[-] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 years ago

to put in perspective, Taylors Eras tour made soo much money, she could have probably paid each of the employees who helped run the tour a million dollars each and she would still have a lot of money.

she already gave some of them 6 figure bonuses.

[-] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago

And she pays them.

[-] dragThruGardenPlz@midwest.social 79 points 2 years ago

Maybe we’ll see some swift justice for once

[-] DontRedditMyLemmy@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'll bet he just shakes it off

load more comments (2 replies)

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 76 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The law suit isn't what matters. He's got a massive collection of those already and it won't matter until it all eventually catches up to him assuming he fails to get elected.

What matters is that if he pissed Taylor off enough she might actually endorse Harris openly. We know she leans blue but she's refrained from open endorsements. Her fans are absolutely crazy and she could probably sway a bunch of Republicans easily. This is great.

[-] 5C5C5C@programming.dev 43 points 2 years ago

I find it hard to believe that anyone who votes Republican will care enough about Taylor Swift's influence to change their vote, but I can absolutely believe that her endorsement would swing the numbers in a big way if she just motivates politically apathetic Swifties to go to the polls.

[-] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 21 points 2 years ago

Perhaps, but Swift's endorsement might encourage people who were otherwise unlikely to vote.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] Veneroso@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago

It might even be a "normie" to "activist" pipeline.

That's hard to predict. On one side, Trump convinced people that he won an election he lost, and committed violence in his name.

Maybe Swifties will phone bank?

[-] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

Young adults in republican families would def switch vote.

load more comments (2 replies)

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 51 points 2 years ago

Wow he also looks like absolute shit apparently

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 39 points 2 years ago

🌎👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

[-] casmael@lemm.ee 13 points 2 years ago

Wait…. You can express this through the medium of emoji?

[-] Hylactor@sopuli.xyz 33 points 2 years ago

🌎👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

[-] ripcord@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

Again! Still!

[-] Daxtron2@startrek.website 11 points 2 years ago

He's looked like shit since the first time I ever saw him in home alone 2

load more comments (2 replies)

[-] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 37 points 2 years ago

FTA:

“I don’t know anything about them, other than somebody else generated them,” Trump told Fox Business correspondent Gary Trimble after his campaign event in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday. “I didn’t generate them.”

Hmm.. why do I get the feeling that he generated them?

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago

You really think he even knows how?

[-] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago

Fair enough, someone probably helped him. What I don’t believe is that he wasn’t involved at all and the pictures just landed in his lap.

load more comments (6 replies)

[-] Davidchan@lemmynsfw.com 30 points 2 years ago

Trump about to learn what it looks like when an actual billionaire who hires quality lawyers (and pays them!) takes legal action against someone. For a guy who abused the courts for decades to bully people into doing what he wants, he sure is getting bent over the stand a lot these days.

[-] Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 2 years ago

Im starting to believe he doesnt know about them or project 2025. Of course he knew about them before. But dementia does bad things to your memory.

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 27 points 2 years ago

Just another lawsuit he won't pay.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 24 points 2 years ago

He uh... really should be. She is legit rich as all fuck and has a lot of reasons to want to crack down on anything "AI" of her.

But also? He has all but guaranteed that T-swizzle openly endorses Kamala (rather than all but endorsing her). She is pretty unapologetically liberal and... spite is a hell of a drug.

Like, if you have to piss off a fanbase? Go after the k-pop fans before you go after Taylor Swift.

[-] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago

Maybe she can do to him what theyve all tried and failed to do

load more comments (5 replies)

[-] Gsus4@mander.xyz 12 points 2 years ago

Don't be afraid, SleepyDon, keep posting, the more the better. She won't sue.

[-] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

He looks gross and old is how he looks

load more comments

this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2024

688 points (98.3% liked)

politics

31042 readers

1703 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

Post only links to articles. Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

Articles must be relevant to US politics and contain quality and original content. Social Media adjacent hosts like Substack are allowed, but ONLY if they tie back to a company/subsidiary. No personal or friend group blogs and no self-promotion. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and re-hosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing other users of being bots or paid actors.
No memes, trolling, misinformation, or low-effort posts/comments (including reposts). If you see posts like this that anger you, do not engage. Report, block, and live a happier life than they do. Any slap-fight is subject to comment removals. Fights full of rule violations will result in temporary bans to cool off.
No manipulating votes via bots or alt accounts; this will result in permanent bans. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in an account ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be permanently banned.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules and use critical thinking when reading, posting, and commenting. Users that repeatedly have comments or posts removed, weaponize reports, or violate the code of conduct, will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users. The reason(s) behind moderator action(s) are publicly available through the Modlog.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

• Register To Vote

• Citizenship Resource Center

• Congressional Awards Program

• Federal Government Agencies

• Library of Congress Legislative Resources

• The White House

• U.S. House of Representatives

• U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

• News