Taylor Swift lends 'Only the Young' to powerful political ad condemning Trump

Taylor Swift's political transformation — from a starkly nonpartisan celebrity to an open advocate for progressive ideas — is obviously complete and was on display in the lead-up to Tuesday's Election Day.

Swift allowed her song "Only the Young" to be used in a political ad that urges young people to vote and condemns the Trump administration. But the ad also spends much of the nearly two-minute-long run-time supporting Black Lives Matter protests, LQBTQ rights, and other social justice movements.

"Up there's the finish line. Our future is worth our fight," tweeted Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell in a post on Friday that shared the ad, which was created by his political-action committee Remedy PAC. "Thank you, @taylorswift13, for voicing what #OnlyTheYoung can do. Let’s run!"

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The images accompanying Swift's song are powerful and sad: the women's march, children separated from parents, police attacking protesters. But the ad ends on an upbeat note, with young people showing up to vote, folks dancing, and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden comforting a child.

The song "Only the Young" comes from the Swift documentary Miss Americana which, in large part, documents her shift toward becoming an overtly political public figure. As Mashable's Angie Han wrote ahead of the film's premiere in January, it looked at Swift coming to a realization that "being thought of as good and doing good aren't always the same thing."

One very strange year later, Swift is now fully allowing her voice — and her music — to be used in an overtly political manner.