Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance leading to conspiracy theories on Biden re-election bid ahead of Superbowl

For years, fans have looked out for Easter eggs and hints in Taylor Swift's songs on heartbreaks. Swift's love life- however much she tried to keep it discreet- has been fodder for gossip as well as her lyrics, as the men Swift has dated in the past are mostly actors and singers, and celebrities in their own right. But her recent romance with Kansas City Chiefs NFL player Travis Kelce has captured the imagination of not only the couple's fans but also conspiracy theorists in America, mainly from the right wing. Now, that's a first even for Taylor Swift. 

All eyes are on the Super Bowl 2024 where Kansas City Chiefs take on San Fransico 49ers on February 11. The Super Bowl is considered one of the biggest sporting events in America but this year is extra special as the NFL hopes to gain more viewers because the game will have Swift in the stands cheering for her beau Kelce. 

Celebrity love stories, especially when they involve Taylor Swift, are always under the public lens. But her romance with Kelce has reached, hilariously enough, the corridors of the Pentagon.

That's because the conspiracy theorists see a psychological operation or psy-op to get US President Joe Biden re-elected. 

Now, ordinary mortals like you and me would scratch their heads thinking how the romance of a singer and football player could have anything to do with Biden getting back in office. But that's the beauty of America. It is the land of bizarre conspiracy theories that may not make sense to laymen like us, but those who hatch it are always very convinced about it. 

Also read: Taylor Swift sends legal notice to US student tracking her private jet travels

Right-wing inhabitants of what now seems to be a 'Trump land' seem to feel that the Super Bowl is rigged and the result will be in favour of the Kansas City Chiefs, one way or the other. Some outlandish theorists have also claimed that post-win, Kelce, and Swift will announce their engagement and subsequently endorse Biden for president. 

Swift is a well-known Biden supporter and had backed him in 2020. Kelce, on his part, had supported the Pfizer vaccine, which the Biden-led US government had rolled into the US market. (Vaccines were a contentious issue during the Covid pandemic, often rejected by the conspiracy theorists). So it makes both pro-Democrats. 

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy called Swift and Kelce an “artificially culturally propped up couple.”  Another even called Swift a Pentagon asset for Biden's re-election- a claim that the Pentagon had to shut down.

"To set the record straight - Taylor Swift is not part of a DOD psychological operation. Period," said spokesperson Sabrina Singh, while cheekily using a Swift song title, "Shake It Off." 

Who would have possibly imagined that the Pentagon would have to comment on a cultural phenomenon like Swift and her latest romance? But it did. 

Meanwhile, NFL chief Roger Goodell dismissed conspiracy theories surrounding Taylor Swift as “nonsense”.  

“Anybody in society in a public position is subject to criticism,” Goodell said of the conspiracy theories.

“But I think the idea that this is within a script, this is pre-planned, is just nonsense,” Goodell said. “It’s frankly not even worth talking about.”

Let's face it. Much of America is conservative in its way of thinking. 

For years, the country has managed to sell its liberal-modern attitude and ever-accepting nature to the world but when you dig deeper, you realise that many in the country are still very orthodox, sexist, and racist. 

The US cannot yet have a woman leading the country, its political leaders need to showcase their happy families and perfect marriages to win elections, and its abortion laws are questionable, to say the least.

It is only natural then, that many people raise doubts when a 34-year-old successful woman, loved by the world, has a successful romance very much in the public eye. 

So the easiest way for them is to dismiss Swift's romantic sojourn at the NFL games and her very PDA-filled romance with Kelce as a political conspiracy.

Here are some samples:

Fox News recently ran a show that discussed: "Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon asset?"

And the anchor, Jesse Waters, said: “Around four years ago, the Pentagon’s psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset. It’s real. The Pentagon psy-op unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset for combating misinformation online.”

A pro-Trump broadcaster, Mike Crispi, recently said: "EVERYONE knows Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is fake and the Super Bowl is rigged. You’re a whacko at this point if you DON’T believe it."

These conspiracy theories have gained currency in right-wing media and spread like wildfire in parts of the population that can now access Twitter without the filters, now that its chief Elon Musk has removed them after taking over the social media platform and renaming it X. 

It is easy to label a celebrity of Swift's stature to always have a motive behind every move. She can't possibly be genuinely in love with someone, can she? Where is the time?

Cynics have always been after her and Swifties have always defended her. Whether or not the romance is real is something that time will tell, but till then, let the lovebirds be. And look out for their romance at the Super Bowl. Everything need not be about politics.