Sen. Marsha Blackburn is taking the high road after Taylor Swift slammed her as “Trump in a wig” in her new Netflix documentary.
In “Miss Americana,” which premiered Friday, Ms. Swift attacked the Republican senator’s political views and said it was her policies that made her finally break her silence on politics during the 2018 midterms. Ms. Swift at the time endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen’s failed campaign, saying Ms. Blackburn’s voting record “appalls and terrifies me.”
“She gets to be the first female senator in Tennessee, and she’s Trump in a wig,” Ms. Swift says in the documentary, reacting to Ms. Blackburn’s win, Variety reported. “She represents no female interests. She won by being a female applying to the kind of female males want us to be in a horrendous 1950s world.”
In the film, the pop star specifically calls out Ms. Blackburn for her 2013 vote against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and her past views on LGBTQ rights.
“She votes against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which is just basically protecting us from domestic abuse and stalking,” Ms. Swift says, Variety reported. “She thinks that if you’re a gay couple, or even if you look like a gay couple, you should be allowed to be kicked out of a restaurant. It’s really basic human rights, and it’s right and wrong at this point, and I can’t see another commercial and see her disguising these policies behind the words ‘Tennessee Christian values.’ Those aren’t Tennessee Christian values. I live in Tennessee. I am Christian. That’s not what we stand for.”
Ms. Blackburn responded in a statement Thursday ahead of the film’s release, saying Ms. Swift might be surprised to learn that they agree on at least one issue of protecting the rights of artists.
“Taylor is an exceptionally gifted artist and songwriter, and Nashville is fortunate to be the center of her creative universe,” the senator said. “While there are policy issues on which we may always disagree, we do agree on the need to throw the entertainment community’s collective influence behind legislation protecting songwriters, musicians, and artists from censorship, copyright theft, and profiteering.
“The Music Modernization Act was a huge win for creators, and the BOTS Act for fans,” she continued. “Growing support behind the AM-FM Act will close loopholes blocking compensation for radio play. I welcome any further opportunities to work with Tennessee’s and the nation’s creative communities to protect intellectual property and ensure appropriate compensation for their creations. On that note, I wish Taylor the best — she’s earned it.”
