Rumors of a rift between the friends surfaced after Mahomes publicly supported Trump on social media. But Swift is clearly sending everyone a message.

Taylor Swift’s reputation is hers alone to shape, and if there’s one lesson from her “But Daddy I Love Him” lyrics, it’s that she won’t back down in the face of public scrutiny.

In just a week, Swift managed to ruffle feathers across the political spectrum with her friendship with Brittany Mahomes. On September 5, the Grammy winner made headlines when she and Brittany were spotted in separate suites at a Kansas City Chiefs game, a stark change from their close bond last season. Speculation arose online that this shift was related to Brittany’s apparent support for former President Donald Trump, while Swift endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The media quickly dubbed it a “feud,” with many applauding Swift for taking a stand.

Fast forward three days, and the narrative took a surprising turn. Swift was seen enjoying the U.S. Open men’s singles final alongside Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, followed by a double dinner date. This public display of camaraderie had fans buzzing.

Headlines shifted rapidly: “Taylor Swift Just Publicly Embraced Trump Supporter Brittany Mahomes at the US Open, And This Is Why It’s Kind of a Big Deal,” read a Buzzfeed News article. Swifties took to social media expressing their disappointment, highlighting the complexities of navigating friendships in a politically charged environment.

As the story unfolds, one thing is clear: Taylor Swift is unafraid to balance her personal relationships with the pressures of public opinion, leaving fans eager to see what comes next.

Some of the pop star’s fans have gotten very involved in the upcoming presidential election, with the group “Swifties 4 Kamala” mobilizing online. While it’s likely that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, will earn Swift’s endorsement, it hasn’t happened yet. Swift does these things on her own terms.

After breaking her apolitical public stance in 2018, Swift has endorsed various Democrats. She took heat from the left for not backing Hillary Clinton when she ran against Trump in the 2016 election. Fans heard a regretful Swift break her silence on that in her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana.

The same rules apply to her personal life.

During the superstar’s brief fling with Matty Healy in 2023, many Swifties were unhappy at her choice in romantic partner. He faced controversy for racist jokes and supposedly had dragged the singer years prior. Swift stayed silent until April’s album The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), where she took aim at critics on “But Daddy I Love Him.”

“I’ll tell you something right now / I’d rather burn my whole life down / Than listen to one more second of all this griping and moaning / I’ll tell you something about my good name / It’s mine alone to disgrace / I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing.”

Swift clearly doesn’t cave to public pressure when it has to do with a hot-button topic, so don’t expect her to do it now with Mahomes.

Blake Lively, another one of Swift’s BFFs, faced backlash in August amid drama surrounding her film It Ends With Us. The singer didn’t promote the movie on social media like she did with Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool & Wolverine, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, and Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Short n’ Sweet.

Media outlets reported on Swift seemingly snubbing Lively online, and while her social media actions may have been intentional, so was what she did next. Days later, Swift threw Lively a star-studded birthday party at her home in Rhode Island.

Despite Swift being the subject of some online controversy over the past year, it isn’t making a dent in her success. By the end of 2024, her record-breaking “Eras Tour” is expected to bring in $2.165 billion. TTPD spent its first 12 weeks on the chart at No. 1, and after a few weeks dropping in the top five, rebounded back to the top spot. Plus, she and Kelce are going strong. It’s unlikely any of the most recent online noise is getting to the biggest star in the world.