Taylor Swift said nothing last year. While America started to buckle under the weight of the rising political candidacy of an unhinged narcissist named Donald Trump, the wildly famous and influential singer remained silent. Even as Trump proved himself to be in direct opposition to LGBTQ issues, feminist values, and various other causes Swift has, at least tangentially, been a supporter of, she kept quiet. The closest she came to dipping her toes into the political waters was on election day when she Instagrammed a photo of herself in line at a polling station, with the caption, "Today is the day. Go out and VOTE." She included the American flag emoji, but failed to lean either way on the candidates. Instead, at a time when her loyal army of millions was willing to listen, she simply smiled and said absolutely nothing.

There are a couple of theories as to why Swift kept her political views to herself. Many have posited that she is a closeted conservative, privately harboring the desire to Make America Great Again. This theory has certainly been welcomed by the Trump-loving white supremacists and neo Nazis of America, who have taken her refusal to denounce the Trump agenda as a tacit endorsement. White supremacist sites like The Daily Stormer have adopted Swift as their Aryan goddess since, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she looks like a pop star imagined by Hitler in a wet dream.

Another theory is that her silence is a means of protecting her business interests. Swift is, first and foremost, a businesswoman, after all. Her every move is a calculated decision aimed at reaching the broadest possible consumer base and advancing her brand, a strategy which has earned her a net worth of over a quarter billion dollars. Playing politics would only risk alienating sections of her base. Why denounce Trump when his followers are paying customers like everyone else? And why distance yourself from hate groups when they stream your songs too? Their Swastikas may be red but their money is still green.

Whatever her reasons, Swift said nothing throughout 2016 on social media, at her concerts, or in her lyrics. Her fellow pop stars spoke out against the aspiring fascist Trump, or at least threw support behind his opponent Hillary Clinton. Everyone from Madonna and Bruce Springsteen to power couples like Jay Z/Beyoncé and John Legend/Chrissy Teigen made their opinions known. Her frenemy Katy Perry even penned a pro-Clinton anthem. But Swift's voice was noticeably absent. Celebrities are under no obligation to be politically vocal, of course, and in some cases, they are better off remaining silent than opening their mouths to reveal how woefully ignorant they are. (Feel free to Google "celebrities + all lives matter.") But Swift wielded a unique amount of power in the 2016 election. She is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, if not the biggest, and her fan base leans heavily towards white women, a demographic that went for Trump at the polls by 53 percent, despite his lifetime of misogynist statements, an unearthed recording of him bragging about grabbing women by the pussy, and repeated incestuous comments about his own daughter like, "If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her." There's no way of guaranteeing that a Swift condemnation would have singlehandedly changed the course of the election, but her All-American image could have reasoned with the heartland in a way the Big City Liberal Celebs couldn't. If nothing else, the incredibly protective Swifties would have been turned off by President Twitter Fingers who, almost assuredly, would have been online within the hour snapping back at their idol. The tweet writes itself. "Taylor Swift, who many say is very overrated, is attacking me to boost her failing album sales after her messy breakup with Calvin Harris. Sad!"