Taylor Swift used a familiar PR move to signal her support of Brittany Mahomes. This time, it backfired.

• Taylor Swift was photographed Sunday hugging Brittany Mahomes at the US Open.

• The linkup comes after rumors that Swift had distanced herself from Mahomes for political reasons.

• Swift has used paparazzi pics before to show support for other women, but this time, fans are angry.

Taylor Swift took a page out of her time-tested PR playbook on Sunday when she turned up to the US Open with a crew in tow.

Swift, who's on an extended break from the Eras Tour, attended the athletic event in Queens, New York, with a selection of the usual suspects, namely her boyfriend, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce; the quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his teammate; and Mahomes' wife, Brittany Mahomes.

Although Swift has been photographed with this group quite a lot during her WAG era, the timing of this particular linkup was notable, thanks to the controversy surrounding Brittany Mahomes' political ties.

Less than two weeks before their US Open outing, Mahomes was criticized for liking an Instagram post from former President Donald Trump, which outlined several key talking points from his presidential campaign, including racist and transphobic dog-whistle statements like, "Stop the migrant invasion," and, "Keep men OUT of women's sports."

Instead of clarifying her stance, Mahomes shared a vague message on her Instagram story, seeming to dismiss her critics as "haters" with "deep rooted issues." She later doubled down by reposting a tweet that said, "You can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind."

As a result, Mahomes earned a personalized tribute from Trump on his own social platform, Truth Social. "I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me," he wrote. "It is nice to see someone who loves our Country, and wants to save it from DOOM."

While Swift has yet to endorse a presidential candidate this year, she has historically voted for Democrats. She has been critical of Trump, accusing him in 2020 of "stoking the fires of white supremacy" and attempting to "subvert and destroy our right to vote."

Left-leaning Swifties had hoped their idol would distance herself from Mahomes now that her fellow WAG is publicly (and, it seems, happily) linked with Trump. Swift appeared to grant their wish on Thursday when she attended the Chiefs' first game of the season; although she and Mahomes were both cheering for their partners in the VIP section, they were seated separately and weren't seen interacting.

This was interpreted as an intentional move by Swift, whose inner circle has long been viewed as a hallmark of her brand all the way back to her "squad era." Whom Swift chooses to dedicate her precious, little downtime to communicates a great deal about her priorities — and, in this case, her politics.

Indeed, Swift has repeatedly used public appearances, paparazzi walks, and collaborations to signal her support for other women. Recent examples include Sophie Turner, who was photographed dining with Swift in New York City shortly after news broke of her divorce from Joe Jonas (also an ex of Swift's), and Ice Spice, who hopped on Swift's "Karma" remix after Swift's boyfriend at the time, Matty Healy, called the rapper "dumb" on a podcast (amid other offensive comments). Even after Swift and Healy split, Ice Spice stayed in the picture, flanking Swift in photos at football games and award shows.

At Swift's level of fame, a well-timed photo op or well-placed feature is just as valuable as a tweet or public statement — if not more so. This show-don't-tell strategy has the added benefit of ambiguity, allowing Swift to form alliances without giving any real information about her thought process.

Earlier in her career, Swift's "girl squad" was criticized as cliquey and performative. But a lot has changed in a few years: Now we're in a pop-culture landscape where markers of girlhood are celebrated. "Barbie" can break box-office records, and trading friendship bracelets at Swift's shows has become a tradition. Suddenly, Swift's female friendships have been reappraised as encouraging, aspirational, and strategically smart.

But no strategy is one size fits all. Mahomes is not a beloved actor from one of history's most popular TV shows like Turner, nor is she, as Dazed once described Ice Spice, "the new people's princess twerking the pain away." In fact, by the time she befriended Swift last year, Mahomes was already reviled by many Swifties for defending her brother-in-law, Jackson Mahomes, after he was accused of sexual assault. (Swift herself was sexually assaulted in 2013 and even took her assailant to court, for which she was celebrated by Time magazine as a "silence breaker.")

Now, in the middle of an important election year when scores of Swifties have rallied behind the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, Swift's willing association with Mahomes — paired with her failure to denounce Trump's candidacy — has sparked widespread backlash.

Swift chose to socialize with Mahomes after their separation at the NFL season opener sparked rumors of a politics-driven feud. Given her reputation as a public-relations mastermind, this can hardly be a coincidence. Their public reunion has already been framed in the media as "shutting down friendship rift rumors" and debunking "feud rumors." The New York Post reported there's "zero tension" between the two women. The Daily Mail said Swift and Mahomes had a pact to avoid discussing politics.

Swift very well may disagree with Mahomes behind closed doors. But that's not enough for her liberal fans, who've been trained to view Swift's public movements as a reflection of her private thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. In the absence of an official endorsement for Harris, all they have to judge her on is an active association with a Trump supporter.

In the wake of Trump's election in 2016, Swift vowed to be more vocal about her politics. She said she regretted not campaigning for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee that year, and made a point to endorse now-President Joe Biden in 2020. She even released a documentary, "Miss Americana," which detailed the intimate moments that led to her political awakening. "I need to be on the right side of history," she said in one scene, crying.

Today, many fans are wondering where that passion went. Social-media sites are flooded with posts calling Swift "spineless in my tomb of silence" (a lyric from one of her own songs), begging her publicist to "do something," and calling out Swift's perceived hypocrisy in a post-"Miss Americana" landscape.

"This might be the worst and most widespread public backlash she has had in years," one tweet said, to the tune of over 40,000 likes. "I hope she's freaking out about it."

We'll never know if she truly is. But her next paparazzi shots might give us some clues.

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