Taylor Swift called out the Trump administration during her MTV VMAs acceptance speech for Video of the Year on Monday for their lack of response to her Equality Act petition. (The bill, which passed the House, would provide legal protection for LGBTQ people against discrimination in school, work, and other public spaces.) 'I want to thank you to everyone who signed that petition because it now has half a million signatures, which is five times the amount it would need to warrant a response from the White House,' Swift said. She then tapped an imaginary watch as if to say, I'm still waiting...
The public shaming was enough to spur the White House into action, although unsurprisingly, the Republican administration did not embrace the bill. White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that 'the Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.'
Where was Swift when this news came out? Reportedly headed to London, though not to take a break from U.S. politics. Us Weekly was told by an insider that the singer went abroad to 'spend time with Joe,' as in Joe Alwyn, her British boyfriend.
Swift spoke to The Guardian about how she intends to do everything she can to help Democrats take back power in 2020. 'I can’t believe we’re here,' she said, near tears when talking about the current state of U.S. politics and Tennessee lawmakers attempting to impose a near-total ban on abortion. 'It’s really shocking and awful. And I just wanna do everything I can for 2020. I wanna figure out exactly how I can help, what are the most effective ways to help. ’Cause this is just…this is not it.'
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
