A Taylor Swift-branded guitar that was the focal point of a viral video – after a buyer in an auction apparently smashed it with a hammer for the singer’s lack of support for Donald Trump – is headed to eBay.
The story surrounding the guitar went viral, as a 67-year-old man named Gary Estes was seen on TikTok clobbering the guitar with a hammer Saturday in Waxahachie, Texas at the Ellis County WildGame Dinner.
The damaged musical instrument was listed on eBay, with the description, ‘Man bought this signed Taylor Swift Guitar at a charity auction for $4000, then proceeded to smash it with a hammer. The video went viral on multiple platforms worldwide.
‘He has donated the guitar back to the foundation to be sold on eBay, with proceeds going to local kids that need the resources to participate in agriculture educational programs.’
The description on the item – which had a $100 minimum bid that went up to $2,600 in bids as of late Tuesday, with just under a week to go – noted that the ‘Guitar comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.’
A Taylor Swift-branded guitar that was the focal point of a viral video – after a buyer in an auction apparently smashed it with a hammer for the singer’s lack of support for Donald Trump – is headed to eBay. Swift, 34, pictured in NY last month at the MTV VMAs
The story surrounding the guitar went viral, as a 67-year-old man named Gary Estes was seen on TikTok clobbering the guitar with a hammer Saturday in Waxahachie, Texas at the Ellis County WildGame Dinner
When the guitar was first auctioned off, a certificate of authenticity accompanying it indicated that ‘the guitar has been personally signed by Taylor Swift and is guaranteed to be authentic,’ TMZ reported, adding that the certificate lacked a seal, which is often seen on those types of documents.
An insider with Swift’s merchandising organization that the description was not accurate as the guitar wasn’t signed – there appears to be an autograph on it in listing photos – and didn’t come with a certificate of authenticity.
A Swift merchandising source told Variety Tuesday that the guitar seen in the auction video ‘had not been signed by Swift … and was not a certified official guitar used by the singer.’
In the clip, Estes hammered the body of the instrument, adorned with Taylor Swift decor, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
‘Now take that and hang up that busted thing,’ auctioneer Craig Meier told Estes before he walked off with the guitar.
Estes told NBC News Tuesday of the incident.
‘It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? And that’s all it was,’ Estes said. ‘There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it. It was just a joke that they were making up on the stage, and we just followed through with a joke.’
Meier told the outlet, ‘It was a funny, light-hearted thing. I know maybe it seemed to be malicious, but everybody was laughing. There were people there, at the time, who joked around that he’s mad because he doesn’t know how to play the guitar.’
Video of the moment showed Estes heading onto stage to fetch the prize – only to immediately begin smashing the guitar with a hammer handed to him by the auctioneer
Meier said that the incident involving the guitar appeared to have political undertones, just a month removed from Election Day, after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president over Trump.
‘Taylor Swift, it became a political thing, and that was kind of the gist of it, just a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics,’ Meier said.
Despite the costly instrument now being unusable, Estes still happily walked off with his prize.
The $4,000 all went to charity, with the winnings benefiting the Ellis County Wild Game dinner, an event supporting the agricultural and rural education of local youth.
A TikTok user who posted the video captioned it: ‘Guy bought a signed Taylor Swift guitar at a live auction for $4,000, only to destroy it. #taylorswift #trump2024 #trump #taylornation #swifties #republican #trumpsupporters #trump #texas #feeling22 #trumptrain.’
Citing the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner organization, TMZ reports the guitar was donated to the auction prior to Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president.
It was donated by a third party and not meant to be destroyed – as it was the buyer who decided to smash it, the outlet adds.
Auction attendee Rob Bartley told The Independent of the guitar-smashing moment: ‘A Taylor Swift guitar had sold at another event unrelated to this earlier in the year, so it wasn’t an unheard of type of item to auction.
The body of the guitar, adorned with Taylor decor, was ripped apart by the tool as the crowd erupted into cheers
Trump posted ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!’ on his Truth Social just five days after she revealed she was voting for Harris
‘That said… when the man announced his intention to smash it the camera phones came out. It was unexpected, but not surprising. This part of Texas leans heavily conservative and the Biden/Harris administration isn’t held in high regard.
Bartley continued: ‘A lot of the working class people that live around me feel that the administration gone from not working for us to working against us.’
Swift endorsed Harris shortly after the 2024 presidential election between the current vice president and Trump.
‘Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most,’ Swift said. ‘As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.
‘Recently I was made aware that AI of “me” falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.
Swift added, ‘It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth,’ she added.
She noted that ‘I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
Said Swift: ‘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.’
Swift endorsed Harris shortly after the 2024 presidential election between the current vice president and Trump; pictured performing in London in August
‘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. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered!
I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story,’ she wrote.
She ended it: ‘With love and hope, Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.’
A few days later, Trump posted to Truth Social: ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!’
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