Latest news with #AlSharpton
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sharpton on Trump claim he was paid to endorse Harris: ‘Absolutely not'
The Rev. Al Sharpton early Monday pushed back on President Trump's claim that he was paid to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential bid, saying he neither received money from the campaign nor formally endorsed the Democratic ticket. 'Absolutely not,' Sharpton said in an interview on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' when asked if he was paid to endorse Harris. Sharpton noted that his nonprofit, the National Action Network (NAN), received donations from the campaign, which Sharpton said is public information included in Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. But, he added, 'National Action Network nor I even endorsed her.' Sharpton said NAN's lawyers are looking at whether they can file a defamation lawsuit against Trump, noting the president has levied the accusation against Sharpton in the past. 'He had knowledge this time that there was no endorsement and that I didn't get any money. This went to the nonprofit that I'm connected to,' Sharpton said. Over the weekend, Trump claimed Sharpton received $600,000 for endorsing Harris in 2024, saying, 'YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO.' '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 that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter,' Trump continued. Sharpton said on MSNBC that Trump made the claim because he had 'very serious problems' with his base's frustration over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Sharpton suggested the president's latest accusation is an effort to distract from Epstein. 'So last week, he was trying to flood the zone to take any pressure off of him and try to put his MAGA base back together again,' Sharpton said. 'It's all about trying to get past Epstein,' he added. 'We have shown in National Action Network and other groups what we did and didn't do in the campaign. Even when I spoke at the convention, I said, we don't endorse candidates. We have come with our files, release the Epstein files. Mr. Trump, do what we did or be quiet.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Mamdani Has Done Something Special. Progressives Need Black Voters to Make It Last.
Zohran Mamdani was wooing Black pastors at the Rev. Al Sharpton's Harlem headquarters recently when he mentioned he had been there before, at a Christmas Day event to help people in need. The pastors, surprised, decided to check up on Mr. Mamdani's claim. 'We had to go look at the tape,' Mr. Sharpton said. 'There's Zohran, serving meals. We didn't know who he was.' Mr. Mamdani, 33, is hardly unknown now. His upset win in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary has electrified Democratic voters across the country, introducing an exciting new name to national politics with a broad coalition of affluent and middle- and working-class voters, Asian, Muslim, Latino and white voters and younger voters of all backgrounds. It's the latest example of a Democratic Party in metamorphosis, as a group of maverick progressives and younger people gain power, animating the base and eclipsing some of the party's longtime kingmakers. Progressives have a shot at shaping the direction of a party whose leaders have failed to mount a successful opposition to Donald Trump. Before they can offer Democrats a path forward nationally though, they will have to make significant headway with Americans at the very heart of the Democratic coalition: Black voters. Especially older ones. In districts that were overwhelmingly Black, Mr. Mamdani lost voters to his main opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, by more than two to one. Progressives seem to particularly struggle with this part of the base. Democrats with big aspirations may want to get very curious about why. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Al Sharpton hits back at Trump accusation about paid endorsement of Kamala Harris
Rev. Al Sharpton responded to President Donald Trump's accusations against him on Monday, telling MSNBC that he was not paid to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris, as the president alleged in a post on social media. "Morning Joe" host Jonathon Lemire asked Sharpton to respond to Trump's claim that he was paid to endorse Harris. "Well, absolutely not. And as the FEC filings say, they helped – the campaign gave funds for get-out-the-vote campaigns for National Action Network, of which I'm a part of, and other civil rights groups, some of which got more than National Action Network did. National Action Network, nor I, even endorsed her," Sharpton said. "What is interesting about this, though, is that, the fact that this is the, as you accurately reported, second or third time, lawyers for National Action Network's looking at can we sue him for defamation because he had knowledge this time that there was no endorsement and that I didn't get any money. This went to the nonprofit that I'm connected to," he continued. Sharpton went on to argue that Trump had "serious problems" related to Jeffrey Epstein and the Trump administration's announcement that there was no client list. "So last week he was trying to flood the zone to take any pressure off of him and try to put his MAGA base back together again. The fact is, he started by saying he's going to fire the Fed chief. That didn't work. Then he went on to something about tariffs that didn't work. Then he decided to do what he started his political career on start race baiting, which was he started with birtherism, that Obama wasn't born here," Sharpton said. The liberal MSNBC host argued that Trump also directed an attack at former President Obama, who Trump said was the "ringleader" of Russiagate, in an effort to "get past Epstein." "Then over the weekend, Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Al Sharpton, the race card, or the thread here is race and that's what he's trying to do. They're swapping money. They're doing things like Obama was holding back with Russia. It's all about trying to get past Epstein," Sharpton argued. "We have shown in National Action Network and other groups, what we did and didn't do in the campaign. Even when I spoke at the convention, I said, we don't endorse candidates. We have come with our files. Release the Epstein files, Mr. Trump. Do what we did or be quiet," he continued. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. Sharpton spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, criticizing the president's record on race. Trump alleged in a post on Truth Social that Sharpton, along with Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé, were paid to endorse the former vice president in the 2024 election. "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 Beyoncé 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," Trump posted on Saturday. FEC filings show the Harris campaign made two $500,000 payments to Oprah Winfrey's production company, which was first reported by the Washington Examiner after the election, on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey appeared with Harris at a town hall event and weeks before Oprah was on stage with Harris at a Philadelphia rally before election day. Sharpton, a big critic of Trump and open supporter of the Democratic Party, conducted an interview with the former vice president ahead of the election in late October. Following Harris' loss to Trump, FEC filings revealed the Harris campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Sharpton's nonprofit organization in September and October. Sharpton did not inform viewers of the contributions or the conflict of interest before or after the interview. Sharpton's interview with Harris fell on the former vice president's 60th birthday, as the MSNBC host asked, "What do you want, 50 years from now, history to say about Kamala Harris?" "I hope that, and I really do hope that... my life will have proven to have been a life that is about fighting for the people. Fighting for the dignity of people," Harris said. "Some little girl or little boy is gonna be talking about you like you talked about Ms. Shirley Chisholm," Sharpton commented, comparing Harris to the first Black woman elected to Congress who also made a presidential run in 1972.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Rev. Al Sharpton responds to Trump accusation that he was paid to endorse Kamala Harris
MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton responded to claim made by President Trump on Monday during MSNBC's "Morning Joe," denying that he was paid to endorse former VP Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Repeats False Claim Beyoncé Was Paid $11 Million To Endorse Kamala Harris; Calls To Prosecute Singer, Oprah & Al Sharpton
On Saturday, Donald Trump repeated false claims that Beyoncé was paid $11 million to endorse Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in October of last year. The Truth Social post comes as the president faces scrutiny from his own base over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Taking to his social media platform yesterday, the GOP leader 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 Beyoncé 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. 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 that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter.' More from Deadline Beyoncé Reunites Destiny's Child For Final 'Cowboy Carter' Tour Stop In Vegas Stephen Colbert Praises 'South Park's Naked AI Trump PSA: "An Important Message Of Hope" Donald Trump Denies Being Briefed That His Name Appeared In Jeffrey Epstein Files, Despite Wall Street Journal Report That He Was Informed Trump is referring to the 35-time Grammy-winning artist's appearance at a rally in Houston, where the singer took to the stage to endorse the vice president and call for unity. 'It's time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall, discord, despair no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem. Our moment right now — it's time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity,' she said to the crowd. Federal campaign spending records show a $165,000 payment made from the Democratic presidential candidate's organization to Beyoncé's production company, per CNN, with 'campaign event production' listed as the reasoning for the expenditure. Last year, senior spokesperson for the Harris campaign Adrienne Elrod told Deadline that the campaign did not pay any celebrity endorsers but was required by campaign finance law to cover costs associated with holding such events, per Federal Election Commission rules. This accounts for the $1 million the Harris campaign spent on Oprah's Harpo Productions, as the famed TV personality endorsed her at a Michigan-held 'Unite for America' event in September 2024. The baseless allegation was fact-checked by websites and PolitiFact last year, though Trump repeated his sentiments about Beyoncé, Oprah and Al Sharpton back in February. Trump has also previously harped on the matter in a post made back in May, where he named other influential Harris endorsers like Bruce Springsteen and Bono, calling for a 'major investigation.' There's also no evidence to suggest such expenses were incorrectly categorized, and though Trump maintained payment for endorsement is illegal, there's actually no FEC law that prohibits such campaigns for paying for endorsements, though they must disclose such expenditures. Best of Deadline Celebs Supporting Zohran Mamdani In New York's Mayoral Race: From Ramy Youssef To Cynthia Nixon The Fox News To White House Pipeline: TV Personalities Who Joined The Trump Administration Celebrities Voting And Encouraging Voting In The 2024 Election
