By Steve Neavling
Former FBI Director James Comey is facing backlash from Trump supporters after posting a five-minute video praising Taylor Swift and calling himself a “Swiftie.”
Comey, 64, shared the clip on his Substack on Sunday, hailing Swift as “a truly inspirational public figure” and reflecting on her appearance on the New Heights podcast with her boyfriend Travis Kelce.
“Taylor Swift and I go way back,” Comey said. “I went to my first concert of hers 15 years ago. I’ve been to a second and I have helped financially support the attendance of a lot of family members and others. I’m in a family’s Swiftie group chat. I know all her music, and I listen to it in my headphones when I cut the grass.”
The confession drew ridicule from Trumpworld. White House communications director Steven Cheung called the video “sus” on X, while conservative commentator Benny Johnson mocked it as “a new James Comey hostage video.”
In the video, Comey linked Swift’s resilience to political resistance.
“We need to stand up to jerks and defend what matters, but I think we have to try to do that without becoming like them, which is what makes me think about Taylor Swift,” he said.
He also credited her for opposing Trump in 2020, saying, “She’s made clear that she sees Donald Trump for what he is, and last year, she urged Americans not to make the serious mistake of electing him.”
Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, closed the video by contrasting the two.
“While our elderly makeup-covered president is posting about whether Taylor Swift is still hot and declaring that he can’t stand her, what’s she doing? Living her best life.”
The video is the latest Comey post to spark outrage from the right. In May, he drew fire for an Instagram photo of seashells arranged as “8647.” He captioned it, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” But in MAGA circles, “86” is often interpreted as “to kill,” and some viewed it as a threat against Trump, the 47th president.
“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted on X.
