In one especially nefarious telling, Swift is a Pentagon PSYOP, or psychological operation. For proof, a Fox news host showed a clip from a 2019 NATO conference that identified Swift as “a powerful influencer.” The Pentagon has dismissed the charge, taking the idea more seriously than it deserves to be.

This fever was sparked by news that Swift’s appearance at Chief’s games had taken NFL viewership to the highest levels since last year’s Super Bowl, as millions of girls and women tuned in with hopes of catching a glimpse of their heroine. According to one estimate, Swift’s relationship with Kelce and her appearances generated $331.5 million in equivalent brand value for the Chiefs and the NFL. This, exploded Stephen Miller, architect of Trump’s most extreme immigration policies, “is not organic.”

It’s not, but neither was the seismic activity — the equivalent of a magnitude 2.3 earthquake — triggered by 70,000 dancing fans at her Seattle concert. Demonizing her and antagonizing her fans, taunting that elemental force, doesn’t seem smart. Even Newt Gingrich, the Republican firebrand who relishes a fight, doesn’t think going after her is good politics.

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