Apparently Taylor Swift's Music Wasn't Welcome In Trump's White House
A former White House official during the Trump administration revealed she was told she shouldn’t play Taylor Swift songs in her office
We apologize in advance for reminding you of his existence, but as Taylor Swift is enjoying yet another record-breaking round of career success thanks to music new and old as she reclaims her Red era, a former White House official in the Trump administration is reminding the world how much of a petty crybaby he really is.
Olivia Troye worked as a homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence under Pence’s security adviser, Keith Kellogg until August 2020, leaving over concerns over the administration’s coronavirus response (or lack thereof). Troye recently appeared on MSNBC‘s All In with Chris Hayes, confirming an environment Hayes called an “obsessive, paranoid, quasi-authoritarian enforcement of loyalty” towards Trump among his closest advisers, sharing that she was warned about playing Swift’s music in her own office.
Troye revealed that she was frustrated during a meeting with colleagues early on in the pandemic, returning to her office to listen to Swift’s music. “I came back and was playing Taylor Swift really loud in my office that night,” she told Hayes. “I had a colleague knock on my door and he said, ‘Are you trying to get fired?’ I was super confused about that — like for being blunt in meetings or for what? And he said, ‘Well, I don’t think she’s a fan of Trump’s so if somebody hears that, you should really watch your back. You should be careful on that.'”
She shared that it was “astonishing” to her, adding, “It’s late and I’m allowed to listen to whatever music I want,” she said. “This is sort of how this White House was run and that is what I fear for the future of our country when some of these people are in power like this and they remain in power.”
Higher-ups also reportedly monitored the social media activity of low-level staffers, with Troye adding, “The fear was real. It was well known that there were social media checks being conducted. I had a conversation with Gen. Keith Kellogg directly, where he told me to watch my every move, to be careful.”
In the recently released Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, author Jonathan Karl reportedly shared that an assistant who’d liked Swift’s post noting that she planned to vote for Joe Biden raised concerns among officials.
Trump’s distaste for the pop queen apparently began back in 2018, when she spoke out for the first time about her political views, condemning Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. At the time, he told reporters outside the White House, “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.” She was also openly critical of Trump on Twitter amid the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, writing, “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.”
Of course, Swift has achieved success beyond most people’s, ahem, wildest dreams, despite a lack of support from a specific voter base, so we have a feeling she’s not crying over any lost streams.
