Hillary Clinton appeared on Kara Swisher’s podcast (via The Daily Beast) and was asked to comment on Elon Musk‘s creepy reaction to Taylor Swift‘s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president. The X owner and pro-Trump multibillionaire suggested he would impregnate the pop star by writing on his social media platform: “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” It appeared Musk was joking, but he was widely criticized for the disgusting response.
The way Clinton sees it, however, Musk’s strange offer to give Swift a child is “kind of another way of saying rape I think.” Swisher agreed. Clinton added that Musk’s post was “rotten and creepy” and added: “I can’t understand why he says what he says. It just is beyond my imagination.”
Clinton noted that for the “so-called masters of the universe in the technology world…misogyny is such a part of their worldview, and they gravitate toward toughness and brutality and machoism. And here’s Taylor Swift, a self-made billionaire who brings joy to people and who imparts life lessons, particularly to girls and women. They can’t stand it.”
One person who can’t stand it is Trump himself, who recently took to his Truth Social platform to write in all caps: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump said the day after Swift endorsed Harris for president that she’d “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.” Clinton told Swisher that Swift allying herself with Harris was always going to “trigger” Trump, and “the fact that it happened right after the debate and just added to Kamala’s momentum must have just set them all off.”
In her endorsement of Kamala Harris, Swift praised the current vice president and wrote 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.”
Clinton said that “Taylor Swift brings an unusual impact to an endorsement,” adding: “Her fanbase is so intense and incredibly influenced by her. She’s a singer who charts the course of her life which they relate to as their own lives, but she’s also someone who stood up to a guy who groped her and stood up to get her music back from someone she thought had illegitimately had taken it from her. She has demonstrated a resilience in taking control over her own life that sends a strong message. I’m a huge admirer. I think [her endorsement] has real impact.”
Listen to Clinton’s full interview on Kara Swisher’s podcast here.
From Variety US