We can understand Donald Trump firing back at Bruce Springsteen after The Boss' accurate critique, but why harsh words for Taylor Swift? Is Trump losing it?

 

Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen (consequence.net)

Bruce Springsteen probably expected Donald Trump to fire back at him after "The Boss" criticized the administration on the opening night of his European concert tour in Manchester, England. But another music icon, Taylor Swift, has wisely ignored Trump since her record-breaking Eras tour and the 2024 presidential election concluded. So Swift must be thinking, "What did I do to deserve this?" after Trump included her in his latest barrage of insults.

Anna Chan, of Billboard, seems to be thinking the same thing after reporting under the headline "Donald Trump Can’t Seem to Stop Taunting Taylor Swift & Now Claims She’s ‘No Longer Hot’;The president has been mocking the superstar since she started sharing her political views in 2018." Chan writes:

Eight months after he shared on the same social media platform that he hates the 14-time Grammy winner, the twice-impeached president posted, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?'”

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

The insult seemingly came out of thin air, as Swift has not spoken about Trump since endorsing Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for president in September. Her support of President Joe Biden’s vice president came after the business mogul shared an AI image of the “Anti-Hero” singer falsely endorsing him for a second term in office.

“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,” the star wrote of the fake image at the time. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” 

Swift concluded that message — which was accompanied by a photo of her with her beloved cat Benjamin Button — by signing off as “Childless Cat Lady,” a dig at Vice President JD Vance’s comments about Democrats who don’t have kids.

Five days after the superstar backed his opponent, Trump posted on Truth Social in all caps, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”

Doesn't it make you all warm inside to know Americans, seemingly of sound mind (although we aren't so sure about Trump's mind), going to the polls and choosing such a classy president to occupy the White House? "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT" sounds like something a petulant 6-year-old might write. Then again, that seems to be the intellectual wavelength on which Trump often operates. It should be noted, however, that Trump once seemed to have a somewhat mentally balanced approach toward the subject of Swift, Chan reports:

While they never had mad love for each other, Trump — who in May 2024 was convicted of 34 felony counts in his hush money case — did previously appreciate the singer-songwriter. In August 2012, he wrote on X (then Twitter) to thank the star for a photo, closing his message with “you are fantastic!” Months later in October, he congratulated her on landing the co-hosting gig announcing the Grammy nominations special, ending his tweet with “Taylor is terrific!”

But once Swift began sharing her political leanings in 2018, when she urged the voters of Tennessee to vote against Republican Marsha Blackburn in the midterms, Trump’s opinion of the star shifted. “Let’s just say I like Taylor’s music about 25% less now, OK?” he told reporters at the White House.

So, what happened? Is Trump jealous of the attention Swift receives and the vast sums of money she has accumulated -- a reported $1.6 billion? Does he sense that Swift's supporters, "The Swifties," are more ardent about her than MAGAs are about him? Is Tump no longer mentally balanced? My guess is that all four of those factors trigger Trump's insults toward Swift. That's not a very "adult" way to behave, but we have a "leader of the free world" who doesn't always behave like an adult.