The Clash of Titans: Kid Rock vs. Taylor Swift and the Battle for Country Music’s Soul

People are pitting Taylor Swift against Kid Rock in an ongoing culture war between liberals and conservatives.

A post on X, formerly Twitter, pointed to an interview Kid Rock did with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson as a sign of the election year being “MAGA vs Swifties,” the name given to her superfans.

Kid Rock was speaking about his upcoming musical festival, Rock the Country, where he will be performing alongside other singers such as Travis Tritt and Jason Aldean who have faced controversy this year. Tritt, like Kid Rock, criticized Bud Light after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and came under fire for sharing unfounded political conspiracy theories on social media.

Some deemed Aldean’s song and music video for “Try That In A Small Town” racist and violent for referencing guns and filming outside a courthouse where a Black man had been lynched and hanged.
“I see a need for a big portion of this country that is under-served by entertainment, and you see that in the success of shows such as Yellowstone and Duck Dynasty,” Kid Rock told Carlson. “So we wanted to give something to the hard-working people who love this country. Come show your patriotism.”

The singer did not mention Swift during his interview, but one person declared the music festival was the perfect antidote to her record-breaking Eras world tour.

“A counter to Taylor Swift. 2024 will be MAGA vs Swifties,” far-right activist Laura Loomer wrote on X.

Swift is a Democrat-supporting singer and endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ahead of the 2020 election, while Kid Rock is a fan of former President Donald Trump. Kid Rock previously spoke out about Swift’s political leanings with an old tweet of his resurfacing after she recently encouraged her fans to register to vote.

“Taylor Swift wants to be a democrat because she wants to be in movies….period,” he posted to social media four years ago. “And it looks like she will suck the door knob off Hollyweird to get there. Oldest move in the book. Good luck girl.”

But people were divided in Loomer’s replies, pointing out Swift’s influence, including being lauded for boosting local economies wherever she performed during her Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift and Kid Rock pose together on November 16, 2008 in New York City. Laura Loomer has billed 2024 the year of “MAGA vs. Swifties.” Taylor Swift and Kid Rock pose together on November 16, 2008 in New York City. Laura Loomer has billed 2024 the year of “MAGA vs. Swifties.” Theo Wargo/WireImage
“People need to quit underestimating Taylor Swift and her 100 million followers,” one person replied to Loomer.
“I’m not even a swiftie but there is no way Kid Rock + a few country singers are going to beat her Swifties in anything… there are more swifties than MAGAs by far,” said another X user.

A third posted: “That country bear jamboree doesn’t even come close to Taylor in popularity. She is THE most influential celebrity out there, whose fans do whatever she says, so when she tells them to vote for Joe, tens of millions of them will.”

Others were in agreement with Loomer.

“Kid Rock has been my favorite for decades. A man that cannot be canceled is such a sight to behold. Love it!!” one X user wrote, while another posted: “Sounds like an epic showdown lol.”

“Considering the Chiefs are 2-4 since Swift showed up after a 6-1 start, we shouldn’t consider her a threat,” one person wrote, a reference to Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.

Kid Rock also spoke about his admiration for Trump during his lengthy chat with Carlson.

His spirits are always up, and he’s always talking about this country. He’s always talking about this country and how he wants to win for it,” the singer said. “Somebody who’s in that office and wants to win for this country, I’m in. I’ve never seen somebody who wants to win for this country like that guy.”

He added: “I don’t know how you can look at his track record and what he did and how he had this country fired on all cylinders when he was in office. Everybody working, our military is the strongest, he’s leading with strength, our borders are under control, energy independent, you can go on and on. I don’t get it.”