Trump Supporter Who Smashed Taylor Swift Guitar After Paying $4K Insists It Was 'a Joke'

The man who smashed a Taylor Swift guitar to pieces with a hammer has spoken out as to why he did so.

Gary Estes, who paid $4,000 at Ellis County Wild Game Dinner for the guitar then destroyed it, insists that he does not have any hard feelings toward Swift and that his actions were merely "a joke."

"There was nothing malicious or anything about it," Estes told NBC News.

"It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? And that's all it was. 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," he added.

Auctioneer Craig Meier shared a similar sentiment and said that Estes' shocking actions were actually a crowd pleaser.

"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," he told NBC News.

Meier did note, however, that Estes' actions could be tied to politics.

"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," he shared.

Estes seemingly confirmed that his actions were political and shared that he is a Donald Trump supporter and was displeased by Swift's support of Kamala Harris.

"Yes, you can connect the dots there," he said.

After Trump and Harris participated in the second presidential debate of the election season on September 10, Swift came out in support of Harris.

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," Swift said in her statement.

"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," the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker continued. "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 added.

The guitar that Estes smashed was not actually signed by Swift, nor was it a certified guitar used by the singer. TMZ has now reported that the guitar has made its way to eBay and has a starting bid of $100. The proceeds are set to go to the agricultural education for local youth.

Tags

Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Election