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Former FBI Director James Comey revealed that he is a self-proclaimed Swiftie and that Taylor Swift has been a guiding voice in his life, especially when it comes to dealing with bullies. In a recent video, he opened up about his admiration for the singer while also criticizing US President Donald Trump.
Comey proudly shared that his family runs a “Swiftie” group chat. “I’m in a family’s Swiftie group chat. I know all her music and I listen to it in my headphones when I cut the grass,” he said. He also mentioned attending two of Swift’s concerts and even helping relatives afford tickets.
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Comey described Swift’s songs as an emotional companion for his family through different phases of life. “Taylor Swift has grown up with my family and provided us a soundtrack, really, as we've grown ourselves and learned and adapted and dealt with adversity and celebration,” he said, adding that millions of other families probably feel the same way.
He also highlighted her influence on young fans, saying that at every stage of her career, Swift has connected with children and continued to inspire even as an adult artist. His personal favorites from her discography are the 10-minute version of All Too Well and Exile with Bon Iver.
Comey admitted that Swift’s example has shaped how he confronts negativity. “Taylor Swift has helped me fight bullies without becoming like them,” he said. At the same time, he confessed it sometimes left him conflicted. “But I gotta be honest, it also leaves me with a strange feeling at times, because I don't want us to become like Trump and his followers.”
He emphasized that most Americans are decent people. “There are far more decent, honest, kind people in America than there are mean jerks. And don't get me wrong, we have our jerks, millions of them,” Comey said.
Comey praised Swift for taking a clear political stance against Donald Trump. “She's made clear that she sees Donald Trump for what he is. Last year, she urged Americans not to make the serious mistake of electing him,” he said.
Reflecting on Trump’s behavior, Comey remarked, “Of course, we're now living with the consequences of that mistake. But while our elderly makeup-covered president is posting about whether Taylor Swift is still hot and declaring that he can't stand her, what's she doing? Living her best life, producing great music and, as she urged all of us to do during the podcast, not giving the jerks power over her mind.”
Comey also echoed Swift’s philosophy on self-care. He noted that she advises treating personal energy “like a luxury item.” Linking this to research, he said that rudeness tends to make people less happy. “We can't stop people from being jerks. What we can do is stop it from hurting us, from changing us,” Comey explained.
Comey reminisced about the second Swift concert he attended in Hartford, Connecticut, 14 years ago. He remembered her singing Mean, a song about dealing with unkind people. Quoting her lyrics, he recited: “I bet you got pushed around. Somebody made you cold. But the cycle ends right now, because you can’t leave me down that road.”
He then added with a smile, “You’ll be glad I didn’t sing that. That’s right, because down that road of unhappiness, nobody should have that power over us.”
