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Donald Trump craves Taylor Swift’s control of the narrative
The president wants his every word to be praised by an army of adoring fans
Alex Galbraith
August 13, 2025
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The tortured president’s society
Donald Trump wants stans.
The president may seem unpredictable and brash, but he’s easy to understand when you realize he wants a fan army to love him uncritically. All of the nicknames, all of the attempts to force a catchphrase, the focus on merchandising and branding, it’s all a push to create fan interest.
Trump’s angriest moments come when something stands between him and the IV drip of love from the MAGA mob. As the Epstein-based schism among his base has shown, Trump truly spins out when he fails to control the narrative.
In that light, it’s easy to explain his hate for Taylor Swift. He wants what she has.
The pop star has an iron grip on her own story. Her every move is calculated to stir up speculation from the horde of Swifties, whose devotion is typically rewarded thanks to Swift’s own attention to detail.
Swift announced her 12th album earlier this week. Her ultra-calculated announcement dropped at 12 minutes after midnight. The announcement itself was teased in an Instagram post of 12 photos of Swift wearing orange on her Eras tour. A simultaneous announcement was teased by her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast in a clip with an orange background.
Trump is far too impulsive, and the people around him too sloppy, to ever pull off something so meticulous. His strongarming of data-producing agencies, museums and libraries is an attempt to make history show that he was always adored.
What do you think? Is Donald Trump’s authoritarian zeal really an outgrowth of his need to be admired? Is he just petty and upset that Swift publicly supported his opponent in the last election? Is America entering its “over” era? Sound off in the comments.
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Before you go …
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