Taylor Swift credits boyfriends Joe Alwyn for pressing her to speak about politics during Trump Presidency

Taylor Swift credited her boyfriend Joe Alwyn for motivating her to take part in political activism in recent years. She has been staying apolitical for most of her career and she finally broke her silence in 2018, ahead of the mid-term elections.

In an Instagram post, she asked her followers to vote for Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen, who was running for Senate against Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee.

“As a country musician, I was always told it’s better to stay out of [politics],” Swift told Vanity Fair via email. “The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [actor Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out. I started talking to my family and friends about politics and learning as much as I could about where I stand. I’m proud to have moved past fear and self-doubt, and to endorse and support leadership that moves us beyond this divisive, heartbreaking moment in time.”

Swift said it was having the ability to talk about her political views out with her boyfriend as well as other friends and family that gave her the courage to finally speak out publicly.

There was a spike in voter registration. However,  Blackburn ultimately defeated Bredesen. Seeing that defeat as well as defeats for other Democratic candidates, such as Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial loss in Georgia and Beto O’Rourke’s Senate loss in Texas, was devastating for her.

The fallout of her first public political defeat was covered in the documentary “Miss Americana,” which also covered the artist pouring those feelings into the political anthem, “Only the Young.”

“I didn’t want the defeat and hopelessness I felt for our country’s future to get the best of me. I didn’t want to weep,” she told the outlet. “I wanted to have hope. Writing ‘Only the Young’ helped me push through that moment in my life and gave me the hope to keep fighting for what I believe is right.”

Since then, Swift has been actively speaking up and recently noted that she hopes the release of the track will be a rallying call for future mobilization by her fans.