The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Mother of child who inspired Taylor Swift’s ‘Ronan’ hits out at Trump supporter over ‘triggering’ image
‘Are they using a picture of Taylor Swift crying after she performed “Ronan” about my child?’ mother questioned
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Maya Thompson, whose late son inspired Taylor Swift’s song “Ronan,” shared her distress after a Donald Trump fan account shared an image of the singer out of context.
Under the username @realTrumpNewsX, the account wrote in a since-deleted post that the Grammy winner had lost a large amount of money following her endorsement of Kamala Harris. “BREAKING: Taylor Swift has lost an estimated 150 million dollars over the boycotting of her merchandise and memorabilia after she endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Thoughts?”
Snopes fact-checked the claim and found there was no evidence of Swift’s endorsement resulting in financial loss for the pop star. Likewise, no credible news outlets reported on the rumor.
The post featured an image of the “Lavender Haze” singer crying and wiping away tears. However, Thompson was quick to point out where the image originally came from. “Is this real?” the post began with a screenshot of the original tweet. “Are they using a picture of @taylorswift13 crying after she performed ‘Ronan’ about my child? I’m going to throw up.”
Her son, Ronan, died in 2011 before his fourth birthday from neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer in the nervous system that usually affects young children according to the Cleveland Clinic. Thompson posted various blogs about her son, which Swift used quotes from to write the song “Ronan” where Thompson is credited as a co-writer.
Thompson followed up with another tweet adding: “Can you please help me get this post taken down by telling @realTrumpNewsX to remove this, as these are pictures related to my dead child? I feel so violated; this moment is sacred to me.”
Later, she updated her fans to let them know: “It’s been deleted. Thank all of you so much. I love you.”
Thompson also turned to TikTok, explaining to fans in a video that she found the photos on X to be “triggering” and was able to find someone who could take down the image in “20 minutes.”
“The misinformation about Taylor circulating on social media related to my dead child is down,” she captioned the TikTok. “Thank you all for always being here and rallying behind the love of Ronan. I’m so thankful for every one of you.”
Swift’s ballad was originally a single performed at the 2012 Stand Up to Cancer telethon before it was later added to one of the “Karma” singer’s re-recorded albums, Red (Taylor’s Version).
“I’ve recently completed the re-recording of my 4th album, Red. It’s really exceeded my expectations in so many ways, and one of those ways is that I thought it would be appropriate to add ‘Ronan’ to this album,” Swift wrote, asking for Thompson’s permission according to one of her blog posts.
“Red was an album of heartbreak and healing, of rage and rawness, of tragedy and trauma, and of the loss of an imagined future alongside someone,” Swift continued. “I wrote ‘Ronan’ while I was making Red and discovered your story as you so honestly and devastatingly told it.”
The pop star continued, “My genuine hope is that you’ll agree with me that this song should be included on this album. As my co-writer and the rightful owner of this story in its entirety, your opinion and approval of this idea really matters to me, and I’ll honor your wishes here.”
Swift first announced she was endorsing Harris for president last week following the debate with Trump. The Grammy winner shared a lengthy post on Instagram alongside a photo of one of her cats, named Benjamin Button.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” part of her post read.
“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. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
She added: “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments