Many are still reeling from Donald Trump’s stunning presidential election victory, and two such people — Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter — aren’t pulling punches when reacting to the news.
The two pop stars join a chorus of notable figures who have expressed shock and disbelief at the idea of a second Trump term, alongside legions of non-celebrity women who are deservedly commiserating on social media. Eilish, who is currently touring her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft, paused her concert in Nashville earlier this week to address Trump’s victory. After revealing that she “couldn’t really fathom” doing the show in light of Kamala Harris’ defeat, Eilish spoke about the meaning of her song “Your Power,” which touches on exploitative relationships and imbalanced power dynamics with a partner.
“I’ve never met one single woman who doesn’t have a story of abuse,” Eilish told fans. “I’ve dealt with some stuff myself.” The singer went on to connect those experiences with Trump, whom she called a “convicted predator” and whose record on women is a cause for concern. “Someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president,” she lamented, after saying that her “heart is beating so fast” and assuring fans that they were “safe in this room.”
Eilish’s protest performance of “Your Power” must have hit particularly close to home, especially since she had been actively campaigning for Harris in the months leading up to Election Day. Last month, she joined her brother and fellow musician Finneas in endorsing the Democratic candidate on social media, and last week, she paused a show in Georgia to urge concert-goers to vote for the vice president. Yesterday, Eilish shared an Instagram story that summated her thoughts on Trump’s victory, writing “it’s a war on women.”
For Carpenter’s part, it seems those rumors she was a secret MAGA supporter — based on her relative silence during the presidential race — were a bunch of hogwash, as fans at her show in Seattle this week would attest to. The pocket-sized pop star also took time during her recent show as part of the Short ‘N Sweet tour to address the election, telling crowds that she hopes the show “can be a moment of peace for you, a moment of safety.”
The “Espresso” singer then went on to offer an apology to the girls in her audience. “Sorry about our country and to the women in here,” Carpenter said. “I love you so so so so so much, and I really hope for the rest of this night that you can enjoy yourselves, because you absolutely deserve it.” Just this week, Carpenter was named by HeadCount — an organization focussed on registering voters — as the artist who engaged the most voters in the 2024 cycle. That’s that her espresso!
Carpenter and Eilish are among a swathe of celebrities who have addressed Trump’s victory. Jamie Lee Curtis said the result was a wake up call for the country to “fight for women and our children,” while Cardi B praised Harris’ campaign for its “honesty and integrity.” For their part, Mark Hamill lamented the idea that “we get the leaders we deserve,” and Barbra Streisand thanked Harris for “sen[ding] us off with a hopeful message” following the former candidate’s rousing concession speech. Petition for Streisand, Eilish and Carpenter to write a Trump diss track starts now.