Could Being A Taylor Swift Fan In Donald Trump's White House Get You Fired?
Taylor Swift's stunning transformation over the years has seen the country darling-turned-pop princess sample many music genres while realizing her fullest potential and becoming the star she was always meant to be. However, while the "Cardigan" singer has had to learn that it's okay for her to take up space and use her voice, former President Donald Trump may not agree.
Taylor Swift's iconic eras are what make her so beloved, with listeners around the world loving the attention to detail that goes into each one. In fact, she's so beloved that people were listening to her in Trump's White House — and they may have been reprimanded for it. This isn't a surprise, either. Swift has previously criticized Trump for how he led the United States during his term. In a May 2020 tweet, she wrote, "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?"
This tweet arrived at the time when the Black Lives Matter movement was ramping up due to innocent Black lives being taken by police. Swift knew she could no longer be silent when it came to politics, which viewers saw her explain in her Netflix Original documentary, "Miss Americana" (via Vulture). "'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump," her tweet concluded. Now, Trump appears to be holding a grudge.
A former staffer was told not to play Taylor Swift's music
Taylor Swift's music might be beloved, but playing it in Donald Trump's White House could have led listeners to be threatened. According to an interview with MSNBC, (via People), former Trump official Olivia Troye said she was warned by another staffer when they overheard her listening to Swift.
According to the interview, the issue started with an office jam sesh. "I came back and was playing Taylor Swift very loud in my office late that night, and I had a colleague knock on the door, and he said, 'Are you trying to get fired?' I was super confused about that," she explained. "If somebody hears that, you should really watch your back," she recalled being told. Troye added that she was "astonished." She continued, "It's late, I'm allowed to listen to whatever music I want."
As Troye continued telling host Chris Hayes, it felt like she was being watched. "It was well known that there were social media checks being conducted. I had a conversation with Gen. Keith Kellogg directly, where he told me to watch my every move, to be careful," she further explained. Hayes asked Troye if Trump was "obsessive" and "paranoid" and she responded, "It's very accurate." Troye went on to quit her role as homeland security and counterterrorism advisor and actually become a vocal critic of the then-president. But while Troye resigned, would she have been fired had she continued playing Swift?