James Comey’s latest viral appearance isn’t a leak, a testimony, or a tell-all book. It’s a video on his Substack where the former FBI Director, once the most powerful law enforcement officer in America, sits in front of a camera to gush about Taylor Swift while taking potshots at Donald Trump. If that sentence alone makes you do a double take, you’re not alone.
Comey’s clip quickly spread across social media not because it was profound, but because it was bizarre. He called Swift a “truly inspirational public figure,” admitted to attending multiple concerts, and proudly announced he’s in a family “Swifties” group chat.
This is the same man who oversaw counterintelligence operations, yet here he is recounting lyrics from Mean as if they are wisdom for statesmanship. “Nobody should have power over us. Thank you, Taylor Swift,” he concluded, with a sincerity that only added to the second-hand embarrassment.
GET SOME HELP! Former FBI director James Comey posts bizarre video revealing how he idolizes Taylor Swift & uses her music to cope with the Trump Presidency 🥴
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 17, 2025
But woven into the pop fandom was the real message: another broadside against Trump. Comey described him as an “elderly makeup-covered president” and lectured Republicans about “stunning coarseness” in their ranks.
The irony, of course, is that Comey railed against the dangers of meanness while slinging insults of his own. He warned against letting bullies “infect” us, all while clearly demonstrating that Trump still occupies plenty of real estate in his head.
This isn’t new for Comey. His odd online habits — remember the “86 47” seashell post that sparked conspiracy theories and protest signage? — have already painted him as more eccentric than elder statesman. But this latest video, with its earnest quoting of Taylor Swift and repeated references to Trump, goes beyond quirky. It highlights just how fixated he remains on the president, years after leaving office.
That fixation raises its own questions. Comey is not just any retiree waxing nostalgic on social media. He is under renewed scrutiny after the DOJ opened an investigation into his role, along with John Brennan’s, in the discredited Trump–Russia collusion probe. Against that backdrop, his clumsy attempt at moral posturing feels less like wisdom and more like nervous energy.
Even former allies have called the video “cringe.” Harmeet Dhillon, a seasoned attorney, summed it up bluntly: “second-hand embarrassment.” And she’s right. The sight of a 64-year-old man who once held the FBI in his hands leaning on Taylor Swift for strength while lobbing juvenile insults at Trump is not the image of resilience. It’s an image of a man rattled, a man unsure of what comes next.
