Trump says 'I hate Taylor Swift!' in Truth Social post

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump Sunday launched a verbal attack on Taylor Swift, expressing his "hate" for her shortly after the pop superstar endorsed his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

In an all-caps posting on his Truth Social media account, Trump wrote, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!"

Right after last week's Trump-Harris debate, Swift told her 284 million Instagram followers that she intended to vote for Harris, the current US vice president, "because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a champion."

Trump, who has 7.71 million followers on Truth Social, initially dismissed Swift's endorsement of Harris by saying he was "not a Taylor fan."

However, since then, with public opinion polls showing Harris gaining significant ground on Trump in what is expected to be a close November 5 presidential election, the former president has ratcheted up his rhetoric against one of the most successful recording artists in history.

Swift's backing of Harris has drawn over 9 million "likes" to her Instagram post, fueling speculation that it could boost the Democrat's chances of winning the presidential election.

After the Trump post, Harris' vice presidential running mate Tim Walz wrote on X: "Swifties: With your help, we're gonna defeat the smallest man who ever lived."

One of Swift's songs is titled "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."

Trump's rage against Swift brought a torrent of supporters to proclaim on X, "I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT." In contrast, others came to Trump's defence by attacking the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.

Trump and Swift have been trading barbs for years.

After she supported Democratic candidates in the 2018 elections, Trump said in response to reporters' questions at the White House: "Let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25% less now."