Taylor Swift's criticism of Republican senator resurface as she returns to Tennessee

Taylor Swift is bringing her 'Era's Tour' to Nashville, Tennessee on May 5-7 - and the singer's clips previous comments on politics and religion have since resurfaced.

The 33-year-old popstar addressed these topics in her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana where she showed her life behind the scenes when she chose to speak out back in 2018 on her political views for the first time in her career to give her support to two Democrat congressional nominees in Tennessee.

In the clip from the film, Swift can be seen discussing the topic with her mother, father and men on her team as she explained why she wanted to share her political views at this time.

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One of the men told the singer that musicians such as Bing Crosby, Mick Jagger and Bob Hope never got involved in politics, which Swift hit back: "First of all those aren't your dad's celebrities and these aren't your dad's Republican's," referring to the rise of right-wing Republicans like Donald Trump.

Swift also expressed how "sad" she was that she didn't say something two years before because she was in "such a horrendous place" at that point in her life.

"I'm saying right now that this is something I know is right and you guys, I need to be on the right side of history," she added. "And if he [Trump] doesn't win then at least I tried.

The musician can be seen getting emotional as she expressed how important it is for her to make a statement while her parents then weighed in with their concerns about her safety.

The discussion then turns to Marsha Blackburn, a Republican Senate candidate who ran on the platform of "Tennessee Christian values," something that Swift wholeheartedly disagreed with.

"She [Blackburn] votes against fair pay for women, she votes against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act which is basically protecting us from domestic abuse and stalking," Swift emphasised the latter as she has had to deal with stalkers during her career.

The singer added: "She [Blackburn] thinks that if you're a gay couple or even if you look like a gay couple, you should be allowed to be kicked out of a restaurant - it's really basic human rights."

“She gets to be the first female senator in Tennessee, and she’s Trump in a wig. She represents no female interests."

"I can't see another commercial and see her disguising these policies behind the words, 'Tennessee Christian values,' those aren't Tennessee Christian values - I live in Tennessee, I am Christian that's not what we stand for.

The documentary also showed the moment she shared a post on Instagram about the 2018 midterm elections where she expressed her political views to her followers and urging them to vote.

In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Swift explained why she had chosen to use her voice to express her political views and told the magazine: “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male."

She also released, in the same year the song You Need To Calm Down in support of the LGBTQ+ community from her album Lover, where several LGBT celebrities featured in the music video such as Todrick Hall and Laverne Cox.

Though some criticised this move, accusing Swift of "using gay rights as a fashion statement."

For Pride Month, Swift joined GLAAD's “Summer of Equality” campaign to urge the U.S. Senate to pass the Equality Act, sharing a letter she wrote on Instagram, as well as mentioning it in her MTV VMA Award speech and the Act was passed back in 2021.

Most recently in June 2022, Swift expressed her fears after the constitutional right to an abortion (Roe v Wade) was overturned by the Supreme Court.

"I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are - that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that," she tweeted.

With the presidential election next year in 2024, it will be interesting to see if Swift talks about politics on stage at these next few shows in Tennessee.

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