Trump calls for "major investigation" into Kamala Harris's celebrity endorsements during presidential campaign

Washington DC [US], May 19 : US President Donald Trump has called for an investigation into Kamala Harris's use of celebrity endorsements during her presidential campaign in 2024, alleging the payments made to the high-profile entertainers amounted to illegal campaign contributions.

Trump questioned the financial transactions between the Harris campaign and stars like Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono.

Sharing a post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, "How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president? Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers? Isn't that a major and illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyonce? ... And how much went to Oprah, and Bono."

The post added, "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. It's not legal! For these unpatriotic "entertainers," this was just a corrupt and unlawful way to capitalise on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

In another post, he wrote, "According to news reports, Beyonce was paid USD 11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly endorse Kamala, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, Not even one song! Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated endorsement. This is an illegal election scam at the highest level! It is an illegal campaign contribution! Bruce Springsteen, Oprah, Bono and, perhaps, many others, have a lot of explaining to do."

During the US presidential election campaign last year, then-Vice President Kamala Harris garnered strong support from various celebrities. Beyonce spoke at a rally in Houston along with former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland, but did not perform. At the same time, Winfrey hosted a star-studded, live-streamed town hall near Detroit, according to a report by Politico.

However, rumours later spread that these celebrities had received multimillion-dollar payments for backing Harris, a claim their teams denied.

According to official campaign finance disclosures, the Harris campaign raised over USD 1 billion within a few months and paid USD 165,000 to Beyonce's production company and USD 1 million to Harpo Productions, Oprah Winfrey's company.

Winfrey had responded to the backlash in a social media post, clarifying that she received no payment. Similarly, Beyonce's mother dismissed the rumours as false, saying that the singer earned nothing for her endorsement.

Harris frequently entered her campaign rallies to Beyonce's song "Freedom."

During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Springsteen also voiced support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and said Trump was "running to be an American tyrant," according to Politico.

"I'm Bruce Springsteen and I am here to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and Vice President of the United States, and to oppose Donald Trump and JD Vance. I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who does not threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for a woman's right to choose, and who wants to create a middle-class economy that will serve all our citizens," Springsteen had said.

Last week, Springsteen took a jibe at Donald Trump and his team, calling them "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous" during a concert in England.

"In my home, the America I love, the America I have written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration," Springsteen had said on stage in Manchester during the opening night of a European tour with his E Street Band on May 14.

According to Politico, Trump has courted celebrity endorsements in all three of his presidential campaigns, from Kanye West to Kid Rock. The latter took the stage at the Republican National Convention and Trump's inauguration-eve victory rally.

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