Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon agent? Right-wing conspiracy baffles fans
Washington DC - Taylor Swift has found herself at the center of a bizarre conspiracy theory pushed by Fox News host Jesse Watters that proposes the star is secretly working as a "psy-op."
The 34-year-old singer was mentioned in Tuesday's episode of right-wing commentator's daily show on Fox News.
Watters questioned Swift's worldwide fame, but instead of diving into her career achievements, he claimed that the Pentagon was secretly behind her rise – and did so with a specific motive of "combatting misinformation."
"Around four years ago, the Pentagon's psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset," he claimed.
Watters then showed a clip from a conference held by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence that named the Karma songstress as an influential figure online – an understood fact for a pop star with nearly 300 million Instagram followers.
Former FBI Agent Stuart Kaplan then came on to back up the theory that this meant that the Pentagon was using her as a tool, noting Swift's ability to influence voters. The host then highlighted her previous success in encouraging young fans to vote and added, "I wonder who got to her from the White House or whatever."
The Department of Defense has now weighed in on the claims, with a spokesperson telling Politico, "As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off."
Taylor Swift has helped cause a surge in registration of young voters
Taylor Swift has been a target of right-wing conspiracy theories for some time, but her record-breaking success in the past year has sparked even more outlandish allegations.
Since 2019, the Anti-Hero artist has been outspoken about her political beliefs, taking particular stances against Donald Trump and Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
These beliefs, combined with her encouragement of fans to register to vote, have been enough for conservatives to paint her as some kind of tool being used against them.
Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey criticized Watters' comments, writing on X that the company's work with Swift "is helping all Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box."
"Not a psy-op or a Pentagon asset. Just the biggest nonpartisan platform in America helping young people register & cast their vote," she added.
Cover photo: Collage: Terry Wyatt & Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP