The Pentagon had little patience for Fox News host Jesse Watters after he claimed the Defense Department talked about making Taylor Swift an “asset” for its psychological operations unit.
During Tuesday’s broadcast Jesse Watters Primetimeconservative talk show host suggested the pop superstar — who recently teamed up with the nonpartisan Vote.org to encourage voter registration — could be a “front for a secret political agenda,” asking his viewers, “Have you ever wondered why or how did she explode like this?”
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Watters then played a clip from a 2019 NATO-sponsored conference in which the host cited Swift as an example of an influencer, saying, “Yes, it’s real. The Pentagon’s psychology unit told NATO to turn Taylor Swift into a weapon of war against misinformation on the Internet.”
After the footage aired, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh jokingly dismissed Watters’ outlandish claims, telling Politico that “as far as this conspiracy theory goes, we will shake it off” — a reference to Swift’s 2014 hit single.
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Taylor Swift performs on “The Eras Tour” in Massachusetts on May 19, 2023.
Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty
Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey also commented on Watters’ insinuation that Swift’s voter registration efforts are backed by the government, posting on X: “Our partnership with @taylorswift13 helps all Americans get their voices heard at the ballot box. Not a psych op or a tool of the Pentagon. Only America’s largest nonpartisan platform to help young people register and vote.”
Swift has been outspoken on several political issues in recent years, including support for LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and gun safety reform. She supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
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Source: HIS Education