President Donald Trump had an unexpectedly warm response to the engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
After the couple announced their big news on Tuesday, Aug. 26, Trump was asked about it during a livestreamed Cabinet meeting.
“Well, I wish them a lot of luck,” the president, 79, said. “I think he’s a great player and a great guy, and I think she’s a terrific person, so I wish them a lot of luck.”
The remarks stood out because Trump has often been critical of Swift, particularly after her vocal support for Democratic candidates in recent elections. He has frequently taken aim at the pop star on his Truth Social account.
Shortly after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race, Trump posted, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Despite that, his daughter Ivanka and granddaughter Arabella still attended one of Swift’s tour stops the following month.
In May, Trump followed up with another post, writing, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’ “
Earlier this month, Trump shifted the conversation back to Swift after praising Sydney Sweeney, who had been revealed as a registered Republican.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” Trump wrote on Aug. 4.
Then, while criticizing campaigns from brands like Bud Light and Jaguar — which he labeled as “woke” — Trump again compared them to Swift.
“Just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift,” he wrote. “Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT.”
He added: “The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Swift and Kelce, both 35, announced their engagement in an Instagram post on Tuesday, sharing photos of the football star’s proposal and the custom ring he designed.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨,” Swift captioned the post.
The couple recently spoke about their relationship on Kelce’s New Heights podcast, where Swift explained how his early “wild, romantic gesture” — publicly talking about his failed attempt to meet her at the Eras Tour — ended up winning her over.
“I was like, ‘If this guy’s not crazy, which is a big if, but if he’s not crazy, then this is basically every song I’ve ever written since I was a teenager come to life,” Swift said.
Kelce joked that he used the Eras Tour setlist as inspiration: “I was sitting there at the Eras Tour listening to every single one of those songs being like, ‘I know exactly what she wants me to do’… I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Swift laughed and agreed: “It was wild, but it worked. I’m glad it worked.”
