About this episode
The self-proclaimed ‘Childless Cat Lady’ Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris… but what difference is it likely to make, in terms of persuading the undecideds, and getting new voters registered? We also look back at the history behind celebrity endorsements from Frank Sinatra’s backing of JFK to Bruce Springsteen and Ronald Reagan, what motivates a star to back a politician? When does an endorsement backfire? Justin, Sarah and Marianna speak to Tyler Foggatt, a senior editor at The New Yorker magazine. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Marianna Spring, Social Media & Misinformation Correspondent GUESTS: Tyler Foggatt, Senior Editor at The New Yorker magazine. GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast This episode was made by Purvee Pattni with Catherine Fusillo, Alix Pickles and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app. You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155 Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, The Today Podcast, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm