WNBA star Caitlin Clark set off a firestorm of infuriated comments after she liked Taylor Swift’s post endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and encouraging fans to register to vote.
Clark herself has not endorsed Harris and indicated the “like” had more to do with Swift’s message promoting voter registration than her political stance.
“I have this amazing platform, so I think the biggest thing would be to encourage people to register to vote,” Clark told a reporter who asked about a potential Harris endorsement on Wednesday.
“I think for myself, this is the second time that I can vote in an election at age 22, I could vote when I was 18,” she continued. “So, I think, do that. That’s the biggest thing I can do with the platform that I have, and that’s the same thing Taylor did. And I think continue to educate yourself on the candidates that we have, the policies that they’re supporting. I think that’s the biggest thing you can do, and that’s what I would recommend to every single person that has the opportunity in our country.”
Clark’s comments came after an uproar over her being among the 10 million Instagram users to like Swift’s post stating she would vote for Harris because “she fights for the rights” and encouraging fans to research the candidates and ensure they are registered to vote.
According to NBC News, in less than 12 hours, more than 330,000 people clicked on the custom URL Swift shared directing them to vote.gov.
Conservatives have long been irked by Swift’s voter registration efforts and support for Democratic candidates—with some going as far as to accuse her of being part of a covert Pentagon plot to influence the 2024 election in Democrats’ favor.
Now, Clark has been thrown into the mix due to the singular like.
Her Instagram comments since have been flooded with fans of President Donald Trump expressing outrage over the like.
“I noticed you liked Taylor Swift’s endorsement post of Kamaliar and Tampon Tim,” said one commenter, with a reference to right-wingers’ nickname for running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). “I figured you were more based and aware. Bummer.”
“Lmao she’s a Kamala fan ! Shocking !!!!” reacted someone else. “She is bought and paid for by the elites ! as soon as she got that deal !!!! No one should be shocked she sold herself !!! Just like Taylor and rest of sick Hollywood !!!!”
“Damn … I became such a big fan . Oh well , back to ignoring the WNBA,” wrote someone else.
“Loved watching you but now I refuse after seeing you support Taylor swift and Kamala,” echoed another user.
Weighed in another commenter: “I have been a huge supporter of Clark. It’s obvious that she supports Harris or she wouldn’t have liked Swift’s Instagram post. Now I choose to stop watching the WNBA and Clark. I hope it was worth it! I think all celebrities and athletes should keep their political views to themselves. She just alienated half of her supporters. I hope she enjoys having small audiences attending her games and half the viewers that are watching on TV.”
“You’d be great if you just kept your mouth shut!!!!!!” swiped one person.
That’s not to say Clark has only seen negative comments. There was no shortage of fans jumping to defend the Indiana Fever guard amid the influx of vitriol.
“Already turning on Caitlin for simply liking a post,” rebuked one Instagram commenter. “You were never fans to begin with. Go touch grass.”
Bashed someone else on X: “The people turning on Caitlin Clark are not fans. they never were. They cheered for her because they hated Angel Reese and thought Caitlin’s political views aligned with theirs. FAKE FANS!”
Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer known for her activism opposing transgender athletes’ inclusion in women’s sports, was among those supporting Clark.
“Perfect answer from Caitlin Clark when asked by a reporter if she would be endorsing Kamala Harris,” Gaines commended Wednesday night. “She urged everyone to do their own research & exercise their constitutional right to vote. What’s not to like about Clark?”
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