Tracee Ellis Ross is pleased that Taylor Swift has finally opened up about her political views.
Swift, who has shied away from making political statements throughout her career, surprised fans Sunday when she issued a lengthy message about the midterm elections in her home state of Tennessee.
“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now,” the 28-year-old entertainer wrote on Instagram.
The Bad Blood singer went on to confirm that she’s a supporter of “LGBTQ rights” and she condemned the “systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color.”
Swift endorsed Democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives but had harsh words for Bredesen’s opponent, Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn.
“As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn,” she penned. “Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.”
Ross, who will host the 2018 American Music Awards on Tuesday night, applauded Swift. “I’m so grateful,” Ross told Billboard Monday.
The actress also encouraged Americans to speak out on important issues, adding:
“I think that this is the time for all of us to step a little bit out of our comfort zones and stretch and actually use our voices. And when you have a platform, I think it’s a good place to actually speak loudly.”
Tonight is going to be EPIC with me hosting the @AMAs LIVE at 8|7c on @ABCNetwork! #AMAs pic.twitter.com/pf5iY9nPRW
— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) October 9, 2018
President Donald Trump didn’t share Ross’ enthusiasm for Swift’s announcement, telling reporters Tuesday morning: “I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.”
Trump probably won’t be pleased to hear that voter registration spiked after the musician shared her message.
“We are up to 65,000 registrations in a single 24-hour period since T. Swift’s post,” Kamari Guthrie, director of communications for the nonprofit Vote.org, told Buzzfeed News.
There’s a possibility Ross and Swift will have the opportunity to chat about their political views at the AMAs on Tuesday night. The Black-ish star will host the awards ceremony, while Swift will open the show.
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