Donald Trump v Taylor Swift: Who is more popular in numbers

Donald Trump has made headlines with his claim that he is "more popular" than Taylor Swift, a source close to the former president says as per Rolling Stone.

But is Donald Trump really more popular than Taylor Swift?

While Trump has a hardcore fanbase who will no doubt be supporting his 2024 presidential campaign, Swift is one of the most popular celebrities in the world right now with her record-breaking Eras Tour.

Both have been named TIME's Person of the Year at some point in their careers - Trump in 2016 after his election win, and Swift mostly recently in 2023.

In 2018, Swift spoke about her political views for the first time in her career when she endorsed two Democrats - Phil Bredesen, candidate for Senate, and Jim Cooper for the US House - in her home state of Tennessee for the midterm elections.

Trump, who was president at the time, responded by declaring that he liked Swift’s music “about 25 per cent less”.

Last year, Swift shared a single Instagram urging US fans to register to vote which resulted in 35,000 new voter registrations.

Given her political impact, an endorsement from Swift is reportedly a part of Joe Biden's presidential campaign, according to The New York Times.

A new poll from Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek found that 18 per cent of voters say they're 'more likely' or 'significantly more likely' to vote for a candidate endorsed by Taylor Swift.

Meanwhile, Trump is the frontrunner as the Republican presidential nominee so far since the primaries for the 2024 election began.

Here is a breakdown of the stats:

Social media followers

With social media being an important way to connect with supporters, both Trump and Swift have a big online presence, let's take a look at the number of followers the two have on each platform.

Twitter/X

Taylor Swift - 95 million

Donald Trump - 87.4 million

Facebook

Taylor Swift - 80 million

Donald Trump - 34 million

Instagram

Taylor Swift - 279 million

Donald Trump - 23.7 million

TikTok

Taylor Swift - 23.9 million

Donald Trump - N/A

Truth Social

Taylor Swift - N/A

Donald Trump - 4.83 million

Average attendance at concerts/rallies

Swift's concerts and Trump's rallies are the places where their supporters get to connect with them in person and are key to maintaining their influence and interest.

Taylor Swift

Swift has sold out stadiums with her Eras and according to QuestionPro data, the average attendance per show was 72,459, accounting for closed-off areas and floor seats, as a result, it is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.

Donald Trump

There has been much debate surrounding the number of attendees at Trump's rallies as Trump himself has claimed "thousands of people get sent away" from his rallies due to popular demand.

But a report from DCReport's David Cay Johnson estimated there were under 1,500 at the Waco rally, from the images gathered.

While DCReport previously referred to a 2022 Orlando Sentinel article that reported a venue with a listed capacity of 8,700, Trump fans bought only 5,406 tickets which increased to 6,200 after giving away seats which meant 30 per cent of seats remained empty.

Donald Trump speaking at a campaign event in Las Vegas, NevadaGetty

Merchandise sales

It's difficult to get a conclusive overall figure for the money made by Swift and Trump from their merchandise sales, but some of their recent merch sales have recently made headlines.

Taylor Swift

From her Eras Tour concerts alone, it is estimated Swift made $200 million from the sale of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other items emblazoned with her name and logo, according to Forbes.

Donald Trump

Trump made over $7 million in sales, from t-shirts to the “Never Surrender” coffee mugs with his infamous mugshot, in the first week after he was indicted in the Georgia election interference case, Politico reported.

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