Image of Taylor Swift wearing anti-Trump T-shirt is altered | Fact check

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Image shows Taylor Swift wearing anti-Trump T-shirt

A Jan. 13 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) appears to show musician Taylor Swift in a T-shirt that reads, "NOPE not again," with a graphic of former President Donald Trump's hair and signature red tie on the letter "O" in "Nope."

"Well said no more trump (sic)," reads the post, which includes a link to a website that sells the T-shirt. "I love this shirt."

The post was shared more than 50 times in nine days. Similar posts were shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: Altered

The image has been digitally altered. A nearly identical image shows Swift with the same headband, makeup and hairstyle – but no T-shirt – at a Time magazine event in 2019.

Image is altered to show Swift wearing anti-Trump shirt

The image in the Facebook post has been altered to make it appear as if Swift is wearing a T-shirt with an anti-Trump slogan on it.

A nearly identical photograph (minus the T-shirt) was taken April 23, 2019, at the "Time 100 Gala" in New York City, an annual event celebrating Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people. It shows Swift with the same floral headband, makeup and hairstyle as the image in the Facebook post. Other images and videos of Swift from the event show her wearing a pink and yellow dress.

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While the Facebook image is altered, Swift has voiced support for Democrats and opposition to Trump in the past.

In 2018, Swift endorsed Phil Bredesen, who at the time was Tennessee's Democratic candidate for Senate, and denounced his Republican opponent, Marsha Blackburn, though Blackburn would go on to defeat Bredesen. Before the 2020 election, Swift revealed she planned to vote for then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. She has also vowed to vote Trump out of office in a May 2020 post on X.

USA TODAY has previously debunked other altered images of celebrities appearing to wear political T-shirts, including Sylvester Stallone, Ben Affleck and George Clooney.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

AFP and Reuters also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Altered image shows Taylor Swift in anti-Trump T-shirt | Fact check