Patrick Mahomes staying out of election

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday he will not be endorsing either Vice President Harris or former President Trump in November, just more than a week after the former president thanked the two-time NFL MVP’s wife, Brittany Mahomes, for “so strongly defending” him on social media.

“I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” Mahomes told reporters at his scheduled media availability Wednesday.

“I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote,” he added. “It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

The comments from the three-time Super Bowl champion came less than a day after global pop superstar Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, threw her support behind Harris in the presidential race.

Trump shrugged off the endorsement, stating he “was not a Taylor Swift fan” and that it “was just a question of time” before she endorsed a Democrat. He also suggested she could “pay a price for it in the marketplace.”

The GOP nominee instead praised Brittany Mahomes, who liked and then seemingly unliked a post on Instagram from the GOP nominee last month. It featured a list of 20 issues a potential second Trump administration would prioritize, including the “largest deportation operation in American history” and “ending” inflation. 

When asked about the idea of Trump referencing his wife, Patrick Mahomes said, “I think at the end of the day, it’s about me and my family and how we treat other people.”

“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community. I do a lot in the community to help bring people up, and give people an opportunity to use their voice,” Mahomes continued. “In political times, people are going to use stuff here and there, but I can’t let that affect how I go about my business every single day of my life and trying to live it to the best of my ability.”

In the wake of criticism for liking the post, his wife said last month, “I mean honestly, to be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep-rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood. There’s no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well.”

Swift became friends with the Mahomes family last year when her relationship began with Kelce; they were often spotted in the same suite during Chiefs games. Though they were not seen together during the Chiefs’ season-opener last week, the couples were spotted last weekend at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York.

Patrick Mahomes said he is “not thinking about” people’s political views when he is “hanging out with whoever.”

“I’m thinking about the people and how they treat other people, and I was with a lot of great people this week,” he added.

In her endorsement of Harris, moments after Tuesday night’s presidential debate ended, Swift said she is backing the vice president because “she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote to her more than 280 million Instagram followers. Harris’s campaign quickly seized on the support, using the celebrity endorsement in their fundraising emails.

The “Love Story” signer also cited fake images generated by artificial intelligence that suggested she was supporting Trump as a reason for endorsing the Democratic nominee. Swift signed her message, “Childless Cat Lady,” a jab at GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance’s (R-Ohio) past comments attacking Harris and other prominent Democrats.