In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Mondays our Tech Reporter Mikael Thalen debunks the most wild conspiracy theories swirling around the web in his “One Dumb Conspiracy” column. If you want to read columns like this before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
A viral post on X purports to show a screenshot of pop star Taylor Swift degrading former President Donald Trump. But is it real?
Last week, an account shared an image of the post Swift allegedly made on X in which she referred to Trump as every dictator’s “side bitch.”
“We love each other. And I don’t mean me and Travis,” the alleged post from Swift said. “That’s a real quote from Trump about him and the dictator of China. Wake up people, the man is literally every anti-American dictator’s side bitch.”
The post, however, was fake. Nevertheless, it was seen over 531,000 times and received thousands of shares and likes.
Numerous users appeared to believe that the screenshot was legitimate, using the fake remarks to lash out at Swift.
“Anyone who takes any advice from @taylorswift13 because you ‘like her’ or ‘Like her music’ are the same people who wanted people imprisoned for not taking the COVID Vaxx,” one user replied.
“Who cares what Taylor Swift thinks?” another user added. “She’s just another spoiled celebrity with way too much money and thinks the world should bow down to her.”
An examination of Swift’s actual X account shows that no such post exists.
Swift has become one of the most hated figures in recent weeks among conservatives, who appear to believe that the singer’s popularity was created by the Pentagon as part of a clandestine effortto secure President Joe Biden a second term.
Seriously.
Yet a glance at the account that first shared the screenshot reveals all you need to know. The account, known as @FaithRubPol, admits in its bio that “most of the images we share are parodies.”
The account posts a near-endless stream of fake comments from high-profile figures in an apparent effort to troll conservatives.
Not only that, the screenshot even has the word “parody” written at the bottom and lists the date of the fake Swift post as “Jan. 200, 2024.”
Swift has spoken out against Trump in the past. And Trump has praised Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. But Swift has not accused Trump of being a side bitch at any point.
Why it matters
Even when a self-professed satire account shares a satirical image with a satirical label, many are quick to jump to conclusions. Such remarks, though fake, seem to embolden outraged conservatives even further in their hatred for Swift.
