Here's Why Donald Trump is Getting Slammed For Calling Taylor Swift 'Unusually Beautiful'

In a surprising twist, former President Donald Trump showered Taylor Swift with compliments in newly-released audio aired on CNN. The audio, part of an interview conducted by Ramin Setoodeh for his book Apprentice in Wonderland, features Trump repeatedly calling the singer ‘beautiful.’ The comments, however, ignited controversy and amazement among both his supporters and detractors. During the interview, Setoodeh asked Trump, “What do you think about Taylor Swift, one of the most famous people right now?” To which Trump replied, “Yeah, I think she’s beautiful, very beautiful. I find her very beautiful. I think she’s liberal. She probably doesn’t like Trump, but I hear she’s very talented. But I think she’s very uh, I think she’s very beautiful actually – unusually beautiful.” He repeated the word “beautiful” five times in his brief reply.

As per Mediaite, he also acknowledged her fame and talent, even though he confessed he was unfamiliar with her music. This praise comes despite Swift’s vocal support for President Joe Biden during the 2020 election, a stance that has drawn Trump’s ire in the past. Setoodeh explained, “It’s interesting because, in this audio clip, we have an intersection of two of the things that matter most to Donald Trump. Fame, Taylor Swift is one of the most famous people on the planet. And his perception of beauty. And I think even Donald Trump knows that Taylor Swift is so famous, that he can’t go up against her even though she didn’t endorse him in 2020. And so you hear him kind of trying to negotiate what to say about her. Later on in the clip, I even asked if he’s familiar with Taylor’s music and he says, ‘No.’ But this is his way of trying to say that he likes Taylor Swift in the hopes that somehow Taylor Swift will like him back.”

As per The Hill, political experts have weighed in on the importance of Trump’s comments. Dan Shea, a professor of government at Colby College, emphasized the potential influence of Swift. Shea remarked, “The idea is to get [young voters] excited about the election. Will Taylor Swift add a little juice to turnout? I think that’s entirely possible. We’re talking about a very tight election. We’re talking about at the margins. Can Taylor Swift help mobilize voters and non-voters in some key states? Maybe. I don’t think that’s out of the realm.”

Shea further added, “She’ll probably endorse Biden again. But will she also push voters to go out to the polls? Will she do it in a very aggressive way or will it be muted? I think Donald Trump is very pragmatic. He’ll do what needs to be done with Taylor Swift to try to keep that effort to a minimum.”

Whereas, Santiago Mayer (executive director of Voters of Tomorrow) highlighted, “Our youth strategy does not depend on any individuals. I don’t think the vast majority of people are going to vote because Swift told them to. To the extent that she can use her platform … it’s an incredible megaphone.” Mayer further exclaimed, “She’s a powerful woman and there’s one thing he’s terrified of is a powerful woman. To an extent, I think he’s upset that he doesn’t have the culture behind him. The fact that he can’t compete and it really does speak to how relevant he is and what his agenda is with young people.”