Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz just happened to be doing a post-presidential debate interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow when news broke that Taylor Swift had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Walz already had a lot to beam about after watching his running mate dominate and demolish Don-old Trump in their 90-minute debate.
Maddow read out Swift’s full endorsement statement. As Time described the moment:
As Maddow read out Swift’s statement, Walz could be seen touching his hand to his heart and smiling. He had an especially strong reaction to Swift’s sign-off of “childless cat lady.” He could be seen laughing and mouthing “oh wow.” Swift’s sign-off was in reference to controversial comments made by Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance in 2021, whereby he said the country is effectively run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
Here’s that purr-fect moment caught live:
In her endorsement of Harris, Swift also praised her selection of Walz as her running mate.
“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
After Maddow finished reading out Swift’s endorsement, Walz responded.
“I am incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner—a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear and that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up. We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC. We’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there because they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy.
“And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift coming out and making that very clear. This would be the opportunity, Swifties. KamalaHarris.com. Get on over there. Give us a hand. Get things going.”
Vance will forever be stuck with his ridiculous and insulting claim that “childless cat ladies” are ruining America.
Walz, on the other hand, showed last year that he was a bit of a Swiftie himself when he issued a proclamation declaring June 23 and June 24 Taylor Swift Days in Minnesota. Those days coincided with the dates of Swift’s two sold-out concerts at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium.
Walz’s proclamation included some Swift song title puns:
“Taylor Swift has enchanted and inspired Minnesotans and people all over the world,” Walz wrote. “Taylor Swift will forever & always be a positive influence, setting an example with her truthfulness, grace, and strength of character.”
Walz even managed to get his cat Afton into the announcement.
And last May, Walz actually did something for Swifties and the Beyhive. The Minnesota governor signed a bill into law to strengthen consumer protections for ticket buyers by reforming the processes related to the sale, advertisement and resale of tickets for concerts, sports and cultural events.
Walz said:
“Whether Minnesotans are selling out Target Center to cheer the Timberwolves on in the playoffs or catching a concert or a play downtown, they’re paying too many hidden fees while competing against exploitative third parties. This law will change that. We are protecting consumers and ensuring that Minnesotans can purchase tickets for their favorite events without having to empty their pockets.”
One class act deserves another.
And with Swifties on board, the countdown has begun for Beyonce to stir the BeyHive into action with her own well-timed endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket.