Taylor Swift (left), Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn (right)
Taylor Swift (left) and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn (right)
Steve Granitz/Getty Images, Mike Stone/Getty Images
  • Sen. Marsha Blackburn escalated her feud with Taylor Swift in an interview with Breitbart.
  • The GOP senator said singers like Taylor Swift would be the "first victims" of socialism.
  • The two have been feuding since 2018 when Swift called Blackburn "Trump in a wig."
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn has reignited her long-running feud with pop star Taylor Swift.

In an interview with right-wing news outlet Breitbart, the Tennessee senator criticized the left for making country music "woke" and said that singers like Swift would suffer under a socialist government.

"If we have a socialistic government, if we have Marxism, you are going to be the first ones who will be cut off because the state would have to approve your music," she said.

"When you look at Marxist socialistic societies, they do not allow women to dress or sing or be on stage or to entertain or the type of music she would have. They don't allow protection of private intellectual property rights."

"Taylor Swift came after me in my 2018 campaign, but Taylor Swift would be the first victim", she said.

Swift first criticized Blackburn during the 2018 midterm elections in a lengthy Instagram post. Her comments were widely reported at the time, being the first time the singer spoke publicly about her political views.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

"As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn," Swift wrote at the time.

"Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values."

At the time, The Washington Post reported that more than 169,000 people registered to vote on Vote.org in the 48 hours after Swift's post.

Despite Swift's intervention, Blackburn went on to win the Senate seat.

Taylor Swift's 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana showed the pop star reacting to the Tennessee politician's victory.

"She gets to be the first female senator in Tennessee, and she's Trump in a wig," Swift said.

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