After the experience with her sexual assault trial, Swift told herself that the next time she had the chance to use her voice, she better know what she stands for and what she wants to say. So, after decades of keeping her political opinions to herself, she decided to speak out for the first time during the 2018 midterm elections, voicing her support for Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen in a lengthy Instagram post. But the decision to do so was not met easily by her team. During an intense, emotional conversation, Swift tells her dad, Scott, "I need to do this. I need you, dad, to forgive me for doing it, because I'm doing it." And in the midst of the argument, after stating she needed to be on the right side of history this time, the entire theatre in Park City erupted in applause.
As the moment came for her to hit publish on her political Instagram, she sat on her couch with her mom, Andrea, on one side and her publicist, Tree Paine, on the other, all three with a glass of white wine in hand. Seconds before, her publicist reminded her that President Donald Trump could come after her for this, to which the singer swiftly replied: "F*ck that, I don't care." The three then clinked their glasses of wine to toast to the epic moment as Swift hit publish.