Trump says he'll call for "major investigation" into Kamala Harris' celebrity endorsements
The big picture: The president has continued to take aim at some of his former rival's celebrity backers, lashing out against both Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen — who called Trump "corrupt" and "treasonous" during a recent concert — in the last week.
Driving the news: The president took it a step further in a 1:34am ET Truth Social post, demanding a "major investigation" and accusing Harris of paying for endorsements "under the guise of paying for entertainment."
He singled out Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and U2 frontman Bono and alleged Harris engaged in a "very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds."
He added, "IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system."
Reality check: While Harris' sprint to November did quickly attain star-studded status with a flood of Hollywood endorsements, Trump also pulled in several celebrity backers, including Kid Rock, who performed at the Republican National Convention.
Catch up quick: Rumors circulated that Harris' celebrity backers were paid for their support, but high-profile allies quickly rejected those claims.
Harris' campaign paid $1 million to Winfrey's production company Harpo for a town hall, as reflected in campaign finance records, and it paid Beyoncé's production company $165,000, USA Today reported.
But Winfrey and her team said she was not compensated with a "personal fee" and that Harris' campaign had paid for production costs.
Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, said her daughter "did not receive a penny" for speaking at a Harris rally in Texas last year.
Zoom out: Adrienne Elrod, who served as a senior adviser and senior spokesperson on the Harris campaign, told Deadline last year as rumors circulated that "[w]e have never paid any artist and performer. We have never paid a fee to that person."
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