Elon Musk is facing criticism for his “creepy” comments about Taylor Swift following her endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 US presidential election.
The billionaire made headlines on September 11 when he responded to Swift’s Instagram post revealing her voting choice. In her post, Swift shared a photo with her cat, Benjamin Button, while playfully labeling herself a “Childless Cat Lady,” seemingly aimed at Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump and Vance, replied: “Fine Taylor… you win… I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” This comment quickly went viral, prompting widespread outrage. Critics found his remark bizarre, with one user stating, “This tweet just takes things to a whole new level of strange. It’s not even eccentric at this point, just outright unsettling.”
Another user reinforced the sentiment, saying, “Elon responding to tonight by telling Taylor Swift he’ll impregnate her is peak weirdo and creeper behavior.” A third user humorously referenced Trump’s recent mix-up of Musk’s name, saying, “Cringe just called and asked you to stop, Leon.”
This tweet just takes things to a whole new level of strange.It’s not even eccentric at this point, just outright unsettling.
— Dee 🌹 (@DeeWaynee94) September 11, 2024
Elon responding to tonight by telling Taylor Swift he’ll impregnate her is peak weirdo and creeper behavior pic.twitter.com/Om0WiCZ2hC
— Brett Meiselas 🇺🇸🦅 (@BMeiselas) September 11, 2024
Others hit back at the apparent joke Musk made about Swift, as they described how inappropriate his commentary was toward a woman. “No offense, Elon Musk, but no self-respecting woman would agree to this, and I am certain Taylor Swift is a woman, who may decide to have a child in the future, with a man who truly loves her for who she is… And, yes… I am a Taylor Swift fan,” one person said.
“Buddy, if you wanna learn how to talk to women, I’m available. But I’ll write the contract, not your lawyers. Apparently, they have no idea how bad it is,” another added.
“This is what you post when you have 197 million followers? Harris won the debate tonight, and now you want to give a child to Taylor Swift, who has no interest in you. Is that some sort of alpha male dominance thing to make you feel powerful and virile? Is it working??” a third user wrote.
Buddy if you wanna learn how to talk to women, I’m available. But I’ll write the contract, not your lawyers. Apparently they have no idea how bad it is.
— Alexey Shevchenko (@glassbeadsdev) September 11, 2024
No offence, Elon Musk, but no self-respecting woman would agree to this, and I am certain Taylor Swift is a woman, who may decide to have a child in the future, with a man who truly loves her for who she is … And, yes … I am a Taylor Swift fan 💃❤️
— Nina Stacey (@ninastacey7) September 11, 2024
Immediately following the presidential debate between Trump and Harris on Tuesday, Swift took to Instagram to officially endorse the Democratic nominees.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” the “Fortnight” singer wrote in the caption. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
She also made a reference to recent AI-generated images of herself “falsely endorsing” Trump for president – which the former president had reposted to his social media platform, Truth Social. The post had included an AI image of Swift, dressed as Uncle Sam, encouraging voters to endorse Trump. Other pictures showed young women with T-shirts reading “Swifties for Trump.”
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift continued. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
Swift has previously spoken out about her political stances and the importance of voting. In September 2023, she called on her US fans to take action on National Voter Registration Day. “Are you registered to vote yet? I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you at my US shows recently,” she wrote on Instagram, referring to her leg of US Eras Tour concerts. “I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year.”
Days later, voter registration website Vote.org revealed that Swift managed to drive record-breaking numbers of voters to the site. Nick Morrow – the communication director for Vote.org – specified that after the “Anti-Hero” singer’s post, his company’s website “was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes.”
Swift first broke her political silence in 2018, after previously facing criticism for not engaging in major political moments in the US, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2016 presidential election.
“As a country musician, I was always told it’s better to stay out of [politics],” Swift explained. “The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [then actor Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out. I started talking to my family and friends about politics and learning as much as I could about where I stand.”
