$4,000 means basically nothing to Taylor Swift. Already a billionaire, the Folklore singer isn’t just one of the richest artists in the world, but is among the wealthiest people in general. No matter your thoughts on the pop sensation, there’s no doubting her ability to make money. So, that measly 4k may as well be a few pennies on the floor to the musical juggernaut.
Aside from winning at capitalism and releasing countless variations of her songs to ensure her album stays high up in the charts, Swift also recently endorsed Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. This, predictably, has angered fans of her opponent, Donald Trump, the former Apprentice host and noted friend of Jeffrey Epstein.
While many have used social media to vent their frustrations with a woman having an opinion they dislike, one particularly angry MAGA fan has put his money where his mouth is. Kind of? We think.
At an auction in Ellis County, Texas, a guitar signed by the “You Belong With Me” writer was won after a bid of $4,000. The lucky recipient wasn’t a sweet grandpa getting his grandchild something they would cherish forever, though. He wasn’t someone who’d seen an opportunity to make a profit, either.
As shown in the clip below, first shared by TMZ, the buyer proceeded to immediately smash the signed instrument with a hammer, to plenty of cheers.
The man hasn’t come out and given a reason for his actions, but the general consensus is that the extremely pointless and ill-thought out gesture of defiance is related to Swift’s endorsement of Harris. The statement by the pop star came after Trump shared AI-generated images that implied Swift was supporting him, and mocked his veep pick, J.D. Vance.
How this act is meant to hurt Swift is yet to be explained. The beneficiaries of the auction funds haven’t yet been disclosed, but even if it was somehow Swift herself profiting from the sale, she would still receive the money. The symbolism behind the act is also muddled. Burning a picture doesn’t cost much, and gets the message across well. Smashing a guitar someone signed is performative and counter-intuitive (although that space is where many Trump supporters seem to inhabit, so in a way, it does make sense.)
The story gets more absurd, too: as noted by Twitter/X super Swifty @Kubaswift, the guitar itself might have been a Frankenstein of merch.
Somehow, we still don’t think Swift cares. However, it’s clear that the purchaser has a lot of strong feelings about the pop star, as do those who cheered on his attempt at resistance. Maybe if they learned to shake it off, they might be a little less angry all the time.
