Tim Walz's Lucky Debate Charm: Swiftie-Style Friendship Bracelets | Vanity FairSkip to main contentOpen Navigation MenuMenuSearchSearchPoliticsBusinessHollywoodStyleCultureRoyalsCelebrityVideoPodcastsArchiveVF ShopWhat Is Cinema?ArchiveVF ShopMagazinewristy businessTim Walz's Lucky Debate Charm: Swiftie-Style Friendship BraceletsWalz mentioned Taylor Swift in his closing remarks, but eagle-eyed viewers also spotted an Easter egg.By Kase WickmanOctober 2, 2024Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.Save this storySaveSave this storySaveWhile it is unclear whether Democratic vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz heeded Taylor Swift’s instructions to “take the moment and taste it,” there is photographic evidence that he at least wore the friendship bracelets at Tuesday evening’s VP debate in New York City.At least two beaded friendship bracelets in the style popularized by Swifties, peeked out from beneath the cuff of Walz’s right sleeve as he gestured behind the debate stage podium. In his closing remarks while facing off against Republican counterpart JD Vance, Walz called Swift out by name as a supporter of the ticket he shares with Kamala Harris.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.Walz hailed those who have lent their support to the ticket, “from Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney to Taylor Swift, and a whole bunch of folks in between there. They don't all agree on everything, but they are truly optimistic people. They believe in a positive future of this country, and one where our politics can be better than it is."Swift, of course, released her endorsement of Harris in September, moments after the first—and potentially only—debate between Harris and Donald Trump wrapped. She not only endorsed Harris, but praised Walz for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades,” and even threw shade at Vance for good measure, signing off as “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” in a snarky nod at Vance’s now-infamous mudslinging at a certain voter demographic.Swift’s endorsement triggered a windfall of donations to the Harris-Walz campaign, not to mention a few clutch Republican freakouts in reaction. It also gave the campaign an opening to post tie-in merch, including a preorder for a $20 pair of Harris-Walz beaded friendship bracelets, the first batch of which quickly sold out on the campaign’s online store.Walz wore at least two bracelets during the debate, one with alternating red and white beads in addition to the letters, and one strung on blue cord with gold spacer beads around its message. No amount of Twitter zoom-ins or yelling “computer, enhance!” (it works in the movies) has yielded a clear shot at what the bracelets say, though their general design does not match that of the bracelets for sale on the campaign website.The trend of making beaded friendship bracelets gained popularity with Swifties inspired by lines in Swift's song “You're On Your Own, Kid,” who then swapped the jewelry at Eras Tour shows. At this year's Democratic National Convention, bracelet-making stations were set up for attendees to showcase their own messages on their wrists, and even before Swift officially endorsed Harris, a Swifties For Kamala organizing group, complete with bracelet-based activism prompts, sprung up in support of Harris.The Harris campaign and representatives for Taylor Swift did not respond to Vanity Fair's requests for comment.More Great Stories From Vanity FairHow Patrick Schwarzenegger “Eye-F—ed” His Way Onto The White LotusThe White Lotus Season 3: All the Easter Eggs You May Have MissedThe Education—and Anointment—of Barron TrumpMillie Bobby Brown on Stranger Things, Marriage, and Life on the FarmA Lovesick Aristocrat and the Royal Family’s Nazi-Connected ShamesThe Power & the Glamour: Michelle Yeoh, Gwyneth Paltrow, and MoreSmash’s Dazzling Second ActChronicling JD Vance’s Circuitous Rise to Power: Listen to the Inside the Hive Podcast with Host Radhika JonesInside Princess Diana’s Loves, Heartbreaks, and True RomancesEvery Steven Spielberg Movie, RankedFrom the Archive: Seduction-to-Spilt Secrets From Ava Gardner’s Three MarriagesKase WickmanReporter, Culture & SocietyKase Wickman is Vanity Fair’s culture and society reporter. 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Walz's best debate charm is that he is genuinely a good person. He wants to help the people and make a difference for this country. I'm rooting for him.