Photo of Taylor Swift in anti-Trump shirt is doctored
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on January 19, 2024 at 20:30
- 4 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
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"Well said Taylor . Nope -no more trump. love this tee," says a January 15, 2024 Facebook post sharing the picture.
The post is one of dozens sharing the image of Swift alongside links to a website selling T-shirts in the same design. The shirt features text that says: "Nope. Not again," with art reminiscent of former president Trump's hairstyle and a red tie adorning the letter "o" in "Nope."
Some profiles shared the image multiple times, while others spread different pictures purporting to show Swift or other public figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris sporting the same apparel.
The image also spread on X, formerly Twitter, where some users appeared to believe it is an authentic shot of the American singer-songwriter, whose influence has made her a regular target of online disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Swift, named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2023, boasts approval ratings and a sway over her fans that experts say could make her support valuable in the 2024 US presidential election, where Trump is the frontrunner to earn the Republican Party's nomination.
In September, the nonpartisan Vote.org reported a surge in traffic immediately after the pop star posted an Instagram story encouraging fans to participate in National Voter Registration Day.
The famously tight-lipped Swift remained quiet during Trump's 2016 campaign, but she later criticized him and endorsed now-President Joe Biden in 2020. More recently, she spoke against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights and urged concertgoers to research which politicians support LGBTQ communities and vote against legislation "harmful" to them.
But the image circulating online of the "You Belong With Me" singer wearing an anti-Trump T-shirt is a digital fabrication.
The headshot of Swift appears to match a photo captured by FilmMagic photographer Taylor Hill during the April 23, 2019 "Time 100 Gala" in New York City, an annual event honoring Time magazine's 100 most influential people (archived here).
Hill's original portrait, which AFP found with a reverse image search, shows Swift with the same facial expression, makeup, hairstyle and bejeweled floral headband. But she wore a pink-and-yellow dress and posed for pictures in front of a red Time backdrop.
AFP photos and video from the event also show Swift's outfit, makeup, hairstyle and accessories.
AFP previously debunked a series of posts advertising "Keep America Trumpless" T-shirts that falsely claimed to show Ben Affleck and other celebrities wearing the political statement.
AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about Swift, including here, here, here and here.
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