Politics
Screenshot/Fox News
Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk
- Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was quick to condemn Taylor Swift on "Fox and Friends" after she made a rare political statement endorsing two Democratic politicians.
- Kirk, the 24-year-old founder of right-wing think tank Turning Point USA, suggested that Swift hadn't actually written her statement and had "bad information."
- But the millennial activist had a different reaction to a conservative celebrity speaking his mind, recently praising Kanye West's support for the president.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was quick to condemn Taylor Swift on "Fox and Friends" after she made a rare political statement endorsing two Democratic politicians in her home state of Tennessee in an Instagram post on Sunday.
The 24-year-old founder of right-wing think tank Turning Point USA suggested that Swift, who had until Sunday stayed out of the political arena, hadn't actually written her statement and had "bad information" about the candidates she endorsed - and the one Republican lawmaker she criticized.
"I don't want to accuse her of this, but I don't think she's the only one who wrote that post on Instagram. She probably got some very bad information," Kirk said during a Monday morning interview on "Fox and Friends."
Kirk urged Swift to stay out of
"This is what I used to love about Taylor Swift is she stayed away from politics - she was all about music all about, you know, female empowerment," he said.
The 28-year-old pop star urged her massive following to educate themselves on candidates for office, "vote based on who most closely represents your values," and register to vote. She also voiced her strong opposition to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate for Senate in Tennessee whose record she said "appalls and terrifies" her, and said she'd support Blackburn's Democratic opponent, a centrist Democrat and the state's former governor, Phil Bredesen.
"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," Swift wrote. "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."
Kirk said it was "ridiculous" for Swift to say that Blackburn is hostile to LGBT and women's rights, even though the congresswoman - a self-described "hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative" - has long advocated positions that would limit the rights of LGBTQ Americans, including opposing the Violence Against Women Act's LGBTQ protections, supporting a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage, and supporting Trump's ban on transgender Americans serving in the military. Swift cited some of these positions in her post.
Kirk had praise for another influential musician wading into politics, however, calling Kanye West's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" an "amazingly profound cultural moment." West appeared on the show wearing a "Make America Great Again Hat" and told its largely liberal audience that they couldn't "bully" him out of supporting President Donald Trump.
"What I love about Kanye West is he's been blazing this trail saying, 'It's okay to think freely,'" Kirk said during a recent interview on "Fox and Friends." "Thank you Kanye West for standing up for what is right."