FACT-CHECK: Taylor Swift did not make any comment about US ability to stop war in Taiwan

Apr 22, 2024 | Fact Checked by PressOnePH

An X user made the false claim that Taylor Swift had commented about the United States’ naval capability to deter an invasion of Taiwan.

CLAIM: Taylor Swift commented about  the prospects of US military action in Taiwan during her guesting at “Late Night with Seth Meyers” 
RATING: FALSE

 

An X user made the false claim that Taylor Swift had commented about the United States’ naval capability to deter an invasion of Taiwan.

The erroneous X post of Patrick Blumenthal, dated March 24, 2024, read: 

Taylor Swift recently revealed her concern about our ability to deter an invasion of Taiwan on Late Night:

“How can we provide a credible deterrence when Japan’s constitution explicitly prohibits it from collective self-defense, and their standoff missiles barely cover the East China Sea? 

Meanwhile, the U.S. has failed to upgrade its own anti-ship missile defense systems, leaving carrier groups vulnerable—and frankly—our focus on them instead of undersea and unmanned systems represents a fundamental lack of understanding of the future of hybrid warfare.”

The photo used for the X post was from Taylor Swift’s guesting at Late Night with Seth Meyers in November 2021.

Swift was in the program to promote her album “Red (Taylor’s Version).”

Nowhere in the 14-minute interview did the pop icon talk about the situation in Taiwan nor did she say the words falsely attributed by Blumenthal to her. 

Swift also did not comment on the tensions between Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province, and the People’s Republic of China. Rommel F. Lopez


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