During the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris received support from several A-listers, individuals whom Donald Trump believes should be investigated for being “illegally paid.”
Back then, Harris’ campaign was endorsed by stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, George Clooney, and others.
Though it isn’t exactly a crime to be paid for such services, some of these celebrities claimed they weren’t even given a single penny.
Donald Trump Demands Investigation into Celebrities' Alleged Illegal Endorsements of Kamala Harris
US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to pursue a probe into celebrities who endorsed Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign.
On Truth Social Monday, Trump questioned in his post how much Kamala Harris supporters like Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Oprah were paid, and called them out for allegedly accepting money despite being known fans of the former Vice President.
He continued, “I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”
“In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds,” the 78-year-old stated, adding that it’s illegal and calling the celebrities unethical for allegedly taking advantage of the “broken system.”
Following this post, the President elaborated on the allegations Monday morning by mentioning Beyoncé’s reported $11 million payment for simply walking on stage to endorse Harris, calling it “an election scam at the highest level.”
According to Verify, the Federal Election Commission confirmed in 2022 that political candidates are not forbidden from giving money to celebrities who publicly support them.
However, candidates must disclose such payments in their finance reports, otherwise, they could face penalties.
Celebrities Who Endorsed Kamala Harris Denied Being Paid
Both the Harris campaign and several celebrities who supported the former Vice President denied giving or receiving money during the previous presidential election.
Since Trump had already raised claims about celebrities receiving absurd amounts of money for supporting Harris last year, Oprah Winfrey addressed the issue in November.
“Usually I am reluctant to respond to rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don’t stop a lie, it gets bigger. I was not paid a dime,” Winfrey said in a comment on The Shade Room’s Instagram post.
“I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid and were. End of story,” she added.
A total of $1 million was paid to Oprah’s company, Harpo Productions, to reimburse the cost of the live-streaming event that took place in September, according to campaign finance records.
Meanwhile, another high-profile artist, Beyoncé, was reported to have received $165,000 for her company, Parkwood Entertainment Media LLC, following her appearance at a Harris campaign rally on November 19.
The pop star’s mother, Tina Knowles, responded to Trump’s claim that Beyoncé was paid millions for endorsing Harris on Instagram. In fact, she said the singer was the one who covered the costs of her and her team’s flights and “total glam.”
As the rumors began circulating in 2024, Harris campaign senior adviser Adrienne Elrod made it clear to Deadline that they were following the rules.
“We do not pay. We have never paid any artist or performer. We have never paid a fee to that person,” she said.
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