Right-wing media in the US has again turned its focus on pop star Taylor Swift, making her the focus of a bizarre conspiracy theory.

The theory alleges that Swift is a “psyop” (or psychological operative), and the upcoming Super Bowl game is going to be rigged to help the Democrats to victory in this year’s US presidential elections.

The wild allegations have gathered pace in recent weeks as right-wing talking heads have concocted a conspiracy that Swift is actually a Pentagon asset.

They have also worked themselves into a tizz about what they allege is Swift’s impending endorsement for sitting US President Joe Biden.

The latest conspiracy kicked off earlier this month, when Fox News’ Jesse Watters suggested Swift’s mammoth success had little to do with her music.

He noted she was the “biggest star in the world” and had been “blanketed across the sports-media entertainment atmosphere”, thanks to her high-profile relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

For good measure, Watters also threw in the The New York Times’ speculation the singer is queer.

“Last year’s tour broke Ticketmaster. A tour that’s revenue tops the GDP of 50 countries. I mean, I like her music, she’s all right, but have you ever wondered why or how she blew up like this?” Watters said.

“Around four years ago, the Pentagon Psychological Operations Unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting. What kind of asset? A psyop for combatting online misinformation.”

Tweet from @DanielleLangWa

Um, what does that all mean?

Watters’ “evidence” was a clip about information warfare from the 2019 International Conference on Cyber Conflict).

It was presented by research engineer Alicia Bargar, who mentioned Swift – very briefly and only as an example.

Bargar was talking about famous people or influencers promoting or encouraging behaviour change. Nowhere did she insinuate that Swift should (or could) be used as a government asset.

“She’s a fairly influential online person. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her,” Bargar said.

“This is a cropped image but she’s standing next to a ‘go vote’ sign, and actually celebrities, at least in the US, regularly will post pictures of themselves, encouraging people to go vote and this has a measurable effect on voter turnout.”

Back at Fox, Watters took that at least several steps further.

“Yeah, that’s real. Pentagon’s psyop unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset for combatting misinformation online,” he said.

That has even forced the Pentagon to try to shut down claims Swift is an asset.

“As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off,” spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, according to Politico.

It’s not the first time there have been claims Swift is being used to encourage voters to swing left, or even the first time she has been deemed a psyop.

When Time named her “Person of the Year” in 2023, conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec referred to her as an asset of sorts in several tweets.

Tweet from @daveweigel

Swift, ‘Mr Pfizer’ and the ‘rigged’ Super Bowl

Aside for her worldwide Eras Tour and her re-release of old “stolen” albums, much of the recent publicity surrounding Swift is due to her relationship with Kelce.

She has had a high profile at several recent Chiefs games, including most recently embracing Kelce on the field.

She is also expected to make a trans-Pacific dash back from performing in Japan to Vegas for the Super Bowl on February 11, when Kelce’s team plays San Francisco 49ers.

Kelce is also out of favour with some conservatives after appearing in a commercial for Pfizer, earning him the nickname “Mr Pfizer”.

Now, the NFL, Swift and Kelce are part of another conspiracy theory being spread by right-wing American political figures.

“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 presidential dropout, posted on X.

“And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.”

“The NFL is totally RIGGED for the Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, Mr. Pfizer,” Mike Crispi, a Salem Media host claimed, according to CNN.

“All to spread DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA. Calling it now: KC wins, goes to Super Bowl, Swift comes out at the halftime show and ‘endorses’ Joe Biden with Kelce at midfield.”

Tweet from @VivekGRamaswamy

So, why all the focus on Taylor Swift?

All this talk about a rigged football match being part of a propaganda conspiracy came as The New York Times reported that Biden’s camp did want a Swift endorsement.

But why wouldn’t any candidate want that?

Just to add a bit of context: Swift was mostly apolitical for most of her career and did not endorse a presidential candidate in 2016.

But that has gradually changed. As Bargar noted, she did encourage her fans to vote and register to vote, and in 2018, she endorsed two Democrats in mid-term elections. She also endorsed Biden in 2020.

Swift has also expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community and student-led gun-control organisation March For Our Lives.

She has said she is “pro-choice” and – after former president and leading Republican candidate Donald Trump tweeted about protests in response to George Floyd’s death – she condemned him.

Tweet from @taylorswift13

Swift has influence.

When she urged her fans to register to vote, they did just that in droves. And her fans have asked her to speak up on societal issues, because they know she has the power to make a difference.

The right has hurled countless accusations at Swift over the years and perhaps these conspiracy theories are a way for conservatives to prepare if she does endorse Biden.

Other wild allegations include that the singer is practising witchcraft, because why else is she successful?

One host went as far as calling her “demonic”, while others have accused her of selling her soul to the devil or George Soros.

As some people have pointed out, it’s somewhat misogynistic to assume Swift is merely being used as propaganda, and not a wildly successful woman, capable of thinking for herself.

Tweet from @rafannie