Following Swift endorsement, Harris makes provocative choice to play ‘The Man’ when leaving post-debate party

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — If song selections were a subtweet, Vice President Kamala Harris said a lot with “The Man” on Tuesday.

Following her presidential debate with former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia, Harris made an appearance at a post-debate party to address supporters. It happened not long after Taylor Swift formally endorsed Harris’s bid for the presidency.

“Hard work is good work, and we will win,” she told the crowd.

“See you later,” Harris added before she exited the stage with Swift’s 2019 song “The Man” playing.

“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can / Wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man,” Swift could be heard singing as Harris high-fived and greeted supporters.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Swift and the Harris campaign for comment on the song selection.

“The Man” and its accompanying music video sparked headlines in 2020.

Swift, who wrote the song and directed the music video, used makeup and special effects to appear as “Tyler Swift” in the project, which references stark cultural double standards between men and women.

“They’d say I hustled/Put in the work/They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve,” Swift sings on the hit. “What I was wearing, if I was rude/Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves.”

Swift said she had done her “research” before endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket.

“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because 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,” Swift wrote. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”

Swift signed her post, “Childless Cat Lady,” referencing 2021 remarks by Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance.

In a post-debate interview with MSNBC, Walz said he was “grateful” for Swift’s support.

“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner — a fellow cat owner,” Walz said.

“That was eloquent and it was clear,” he continued. “And that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up.”

Trump dismissed Swift’s Democratic endorsement.

“She will probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” Trump told Fox News.

While several high-profile artists have objected to the Trump campaign using their music, Harris has not – at least publicly – faced similar challenges.

In July, Beyoncé gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” for her presidential campaign. The song has since become an anthem for Harris, who has used it for both ads and at her campaign rallies.

The-CNN-Wire
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