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Beyoncé, Oprah, Sharpton: Donald Trump alleges Kamala Harris's endorsement budget was bigger than her campaign

Beyoncé, Oprah, Sharpton: Donald Trump alleges Kamala Harris's endorsement budget was bigger than her campaign

Time of India27-07-2025
US President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her and the Democratic Party of funnelling millions of dollars to celebrities in exchange for political endorsements during the 2024 presidential election.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social account on Saturday, Trump wrote, "I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyonce for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for 'expenses,' to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV 'anchor,' Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO."
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Trump followed up with a demand for legal action, stating, "Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala and all of those who received Endorsement money BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted."
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He concluded with, "Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter."
Detailed allegations and past claims
This is not the first time Trump has made these claims. He had previously accused Harris of paying high-profile public figures to support her campaign. He has now restated those figures publicly: $11 million to Beyoncé, $3 million to Oprah, and $600,000 to Al Sharpton.
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In an earlier post from December, Trump commented, "Beyoncé didn't sing, Oprah didn't do much of anything (she called it 'expenses'), and Al is just a third rate Con Man."
Trump's posts suggest he believes these payments were disguised as event costs or production expenses, misrepresented in campaign finance records.
Responses and background
Oprah Winfrey addressed similar accusations last year, saying, 'I was not paid a dime to appear. The people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.'
Records from the
Federal Election Commission
show the Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's production company. Such payments are legally allowed when related to event production, and cannot be treated as donations or personal compensation.
No formal evidence has been presented so far to support the claim that endorsements were bought. The Harris campaign previously denied that any payments were made in exchange for political support.
Epstein case clouds Trump's comments
Trump's accusations against Harris and the Democrats come at a time when he is under growing pressure over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. The renewed interest in the case has drawn attention from both Republican and Democratic voters, with public calls for more transparency.
Trump has dismissed the Epstein-related scrutiny as politically motivated. In another Truth Social post, he wrote:
"The Radical Left Democrats are doing everything in their power to distract and obfuscate from our GREAT six months of service to America, results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history."
He added, "They have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX."
According to The Hill, Trump has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to work on releasing the grand jury testimonies of both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The move follows mounting demand from across the political spectrum for full disclosure of court records linked to the Epstein case.
Trump's accusations, though unproven, place public pressure on Harris and the Democratic Party at a sensitive moment. They also reflect his broader strategy of casting doubt on the integrity of his political rivals, while deflecting criticism of his own record.
The Federal Election Commission has not commented on the claims, and no official investigations into the alleged payments have been announced.
Whether Trump's allegations lead to any formal inquiry remains uncertain. But they have already stirred debate over transparency, legality and ethics in American election campaigns.
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