Taylor Swift’s Litigious Past Makes Fans Wonder Why She Won’t Stop Trump From Using Her Branding
Taylor Swift has not said anything about Donald Trump’s use of her Eras Tour branding to sell merchandise. The White House recently shared an image of “America’s Eras Tour,” which looks like merchandise from Swift’s Eras Tour. While Swift has one of the biggest trademark portfolios in the entertainment industry, she has not spoken about the use of her image. People are not happy with her about this.
Donald Trump is using Taylor Swift’s branding to sell merchandise
The White House recently posted an image of “America’s Eras Tour.” It featured Trump surrounded by historical figures and moments in the style of Swift’s Eras Tour poster. He previously sold merchandise with this image on it.
It later shared a picture of the digital billboards outside of Madison Square Garden, Swift’s wedding venue. When she tied the knot, the billboards read “JUST&T MARRIED.” In the White House’s image, it reads, “TRUMP IS YOUR PRESIDENT.” The White House has also used her songs in posts.
A number of artists, including Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, have denounced the administration for using their music. Swift, however, has remained silent.
People have expressed frustration with Taylor Swift for her silence
Swift has a massive trademark portfolio and protects it. In the winter, she asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to block a bedding company from registering the name Swift Home. Her legal team has also frequently gone after Etsy sellers. Because of this, people have noticed her apparent silence over Trump’s use of her branding.
“Taking down independent creators who love your music is easy, but picking a fight with a massive political machine is bad for the quarterly revenue,” wrote one Reddit user. “This is the real Taylor.”
“I think the problem here is she has a history of suing people for other stuff fairly quickly, but the fact that Trump has done at least three things that interfere with her brand association, and she hasn’t done anything about it, is kinda questionable,” added another person. “Like…. I understand she doesn’t want to give any more attention toward Trump, but you have to do something hun, you can’t just sit there and be silent. People are watching you, show them that you care, that it’s wrong, and that you’re taking care of business.”
Others expressed particular disappointment because of how closely Swift manages her career.
“Not surprising but very disappointing, especially since Taylor makes it very clear that she is running her brand and involved in all decisions,” added someone else. “Maybe she’s hoping wedding coverage will drown this out in the press.”
Many people pointed to the fact that Swift previously said she didn’t want to remain silent on political issues. While she endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, many other artists have been far more outspoken in recent years.
“Incredibly disappointing,” wrote one person. “I remember being a fan during the Lover era and she loudly bragged about breaking her political silence and standing up for what’s right. Guess being vocal against fascism is an era-dependent thing…”
