The Wild Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory That Set Whoopi Goldberg Off
Pop star Taylor Swift is no stranger to conspiracy theories. There have been speculations of hidden meanings behind her songs, hypotheses about her relationship with Travis Kelce, and now, thanks to Fox News' Jesse Watters, there are conspiracy theories about Swift being a political figurehead.
On January 9, 2024, Watters shared a clip of a NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence conference from August 13, 2019, where Swift was mentioned. This led Watters to comment on "Jesse Watters Primetime," "So, is Swift a front for a political agenda?" The television host admitted that he had no evidence beyond the video but added that he was "curious because the pop star who endorsed Biden is urging millions of her followers to vote." He boldly claimed, "The Pentagon Psychological Operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting," to combat misinformation online.
Tons of viewers found it hard to wrap their heads around Watters' reasoning, and Whoopi Goldberg was no different. "The View" co-host was upset that the Fox News anchor tried to turn Swift encouraging her fans to vote into a bad thing. "I am tired of dumb people. [...] I can't handle it," she said. Goldberg got unanimous support from her fellow hosts, who believed that Republicans like Watters were disappointed that Swift supported a Democrat and wasn't "their princess."
The Pentagon and Vote.org responded to Jesse Watters' Taylor Swift conspiracy theory
A day after Jesse Watters' comments, the Pentagon and Vote.org publicly denied the conspiracy theories. The CEO of Vote.org, Andrea Hailey, responded in a post via X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Our partnership with @taylorswift13 is helping all Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box. Not a psy-op or a Pentagon asset. Just the biggest nonpartisan platform in America helping young people register & cast their vote."
The U.S. Department of Defense also responded via Sabrina Singh, including a witty play on words. "As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to 'shake it off.'" However, Taylor Swift hasn't publicly replied to Watters' claims. It's also worth noting that the pop star has been involved in politics even before Biden became president. In 2018, she publicly supported Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, citing his support for LGBTQ+ rights. She also had several run-ins with the 45th president during his presidency, which is why it's shocking that Donald Trump supports Taylor Swift's romance with Travis Kelce.
Jesse Watters' conspiracy theory lacks substantial proof
To support his theory, Jesse Watters pointed out that popular artists such as Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, and Elvis Presley had been used to further political agendas. He also consulted with a former FBI agent who admitted that there was a possibility that Taylor Swift could have been used by the Democrats. However, the entire conspiracy theory totally falls apart when the full video of the NATO conference is taken into context.
The speaker, whom Watters referred to as a member of the "Pentagon Psychological Operations Unit" wasn't in any way a government official. Instead, she is Alicia Marie Bargar, a research engineer with ties to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (via YouTube). She also wasn't pitching Swift. The pop star was simply an example Bargar used to bolster her point about using "famous people or main influencers" to combat online misinformation. It's also worth noting that Watters was at the forefront of the conspiracy theory that the Coronavirus originated from Chinese people "eating raw bats and snakes." His support of violence and assassinations was a key reason Dr. Fauci wanted Jesse Watters fired immediately.