Meet Tree Paine, the PR mastermind helping to steer the massive Taylor Swift machine

Paine left Warner Music in 2014 to exclusively rep Swift. Known for her strategic clapbacks, the publicist has become a star in her own right.

• Tree Paine has been Taylor Swift's power publicist for a decade.
• Her strategic clapbacks and red carpet chaperoning have made her famous in her own right.
• Fans applaud Paine's apparent machinations, but she's kept a relatively low profile.

Taylor Swift recently entered the billionaire's club with a fortune stemming from her massive "Eras Tour" as well as streaming deals, music sales, and merch.

That fortune largely rests on her reputation and ability to fill stadiums with passionate fans. To that end, Swift's publicist of a decade, Tree Paine, is one of the most critical figures in her orbit.

With every album cycle — including the release of "The Tortured Poets Department" on Friday — Paine has become more famous in her own right. Still, as commentary about her supposed masterminding behind the scenes runs rampant on social media, the publicist has kept a relatively low profile.

Paine was born Trina Snyder and grew up in Costa Mesa, California, according to The Wall Street Journal. She attended the University of Southern California and worked in the music industry in Los Angeles before arriving at Warner Music Nashville in its Christian and country divisions.

Before Paine, Swift worked with the publicist Paula Erickson, according to the Journal. But in 2014, Paine left Warner to launch her own firm, Premium PR, with Swift as her sole client.

Neither Paine nor Erickson responded to Business Insider's requests for comment.

Paine, 52, is married to Lance Paine — a businessman who previously served as president of Scott Brothers Global, the Property Brothers' parent company, according to the Journal. They have one daughter.

Paine chooses carefully when to clap back

Paine has become a fixture on the red carpet with Swift, steering her through photographers and even fluffing her gown on occasion. She also appeared in Swift's "Miss Americana" Netflix documentary, toasting wine as Swift decided to publicly condemn former President Donald Trump.

Paine carefully chooses when to defend Swift amid various rumors and feuds — but when she does, it can arrive like a bomb.

In 2020, Paine clapped back at Kim Kardashian, who tweeted that "Taylor lied through her publicist" about a spat between Swift and her ex-husband, Kanye West. Paine pointedly corrected the record.

More recently, Paine railed against Instagram gossip account DeuxMoi for speculating about Swift and her ex, Joe Alwyn. "Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi," Paine fumed in November. "It's time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these."

Paine helped Swift navigate the sale of her masters and a 2017 sexual assault trial, per The Cut, where a jury ruled in her favor.

'The devil works hard, but Tree Paine works harder'

Paine is private on Instagram but active on X, where users regularly rhapsodize about her apparent machinations behind the scenes — whether or not she's actually involved.

There are also several highly-viewed fan compilations dedicated to the publicist on TikTok.

On Friday, one X user applauded Paine's supposed crackdown on "Poets Department" leaks. "The devil works hard," the user wrote, "but tree paine works harder."

And IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich shared his surprise Friday when his 4-year-old son asked to listen to Swift's new album. "Tree Paine undefeated," he joked.