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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump wants 'major investigation' into Beyoncé, Oprah, other celeb endorsements of Harris
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said he plans to call for a "major investigation" into the celebrity endorsements that Kamala Harris received during the 2024 campaign, alleging without evidence that Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, U2's Bono and Beyoncé were paid to publicly support the Democratic nominee. Representatives of several of the entertainers targeted by Trump − all of whom have previously endorsed Democratic candidates for president − have rejected rumors they were paid to appear with Harris and back her campaign. Trump, in a 1:34 a.m. EDT May 19 post on Truth social, accused Harris of paying for their endorsements "under the guise of paying for entertainment" in a "desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds." Springsteen, Beyoncé and Winfrey each headlined campaign events for Harris. Bono, who is from Ireland, did not, nor did he publicly endorse her candidacy. "IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system," Trump said. More: It wasn't only Oprah. Kamala Harris campaign paid Beyonce's production company too Trump did not elaborate on the investigation he has in mind or what entity he wants to lead it. The Federal Election Commission does not have rules explicitly prohibiting candidates from paying for endorsements. Trump followed up on his overnight social media post with a subsequent post at 9:11 am EDT singling out Beyoncé with an unfounded claim involving a rally she hosted in October 2024 for Harris in Houston. Trump wrote that "according to news report" Beyoncé was paid $11 million "to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!" "BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!" Trump said in his post. More: Trump calls Beyoncé's endorsement of Kamala Harris 'illegal': Here's what to know A representative of Harris did not immediately response to a request for comment. It is unclear where Trump got the unsubstantiated $11 million figure. The Harris campaign last year rejected a rumor that it paid Beyoncé $10 million for her endorsement that spread on social media shortly after the music star's October 2024 appearance with Harris. Beyoncé, Springsteen and Winfrey each endorsed Barack Obama, Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in previous elections, including the 2016 and 2020 races in which Trump was the Republican nominee. Bono has a long history of backing liberal causes. More: 'I'm here as a mother': Beyoncé' rallies for Kamala Harris in final stretch of campaign The Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, according to finance records reported to the Federal Election Commission. The payment came about a month after the two appeared together at the Houston rally. Beyoncé did not perform at the rally but instead spoke about her support for Harris alongside her Destiny's Child group mate, Kelly Rowland. Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé, pushed back at the $10 million rumor at the time, calling it "false information" and a "lie" in a post on Instagram. "In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team," Knowles said. The Harris campaign, which spent lavishly after raising more than $1 billion over just 107 days, also paid $1 million to Harpo Productions, the company Winfrey owns, after the television star hosted a town hall event for Harris that featured appearance from other celebrities such as comedian Chris Rock, actresses Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, actor Ben Stiller, and singer Jennifer Lopez. More: Bruce Springsteen doubles down after Trump calls him 'dried out prune' The payments to Winfrey's production company came in two $500,000 sums on Oct. 15, 2024. Winfrey said the money went to employees who put on the event, not to her personally. 'I did not take any personal fee," Winfrey said in a video posted on Instagram. "However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story." After Harris emerged as the 2024 Democratic nominee, Beyoncé granted her campaign permission to use her song "Freedom" as its anthem. Winfrey, a registered independent voter who previously endorsed Clinton and Obama, delivered a forceful case for Harris during a primetime appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump's focus on Springsteen comes after Trump lashed out at the rock icon con after he condemned the president's "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration' during the first show of his British tour last week. "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy,' Trump said in a May 16 post on Truth Social. "Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden." Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump wants 'investigation' into celebrity endorsements of Harris
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump calls for investigations into celebrity endorsements. Who endorsed Harris?
President Donald Trump said he wants a major investigation into celebrity endorsements of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. Harris ran against Trump in a surprise shakeup election when former President Joe Biden dropped out in the face of mounting questions about his fitness for office. Despite swift support and fundraising for Harris, Trump won all of the swing states in a decisive win. But in the early morning hours of May 19, Trump questioned whether Harris paid Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah, a few of the big names who stumped for Harris in her presidential campaign. "This was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds," Trump said on Truth Social. "IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system." But the claims come without evidence, as the Federal Election Commission does not explicitly ban paid endorsements. Here is what to know about celebrities in the 2024 presidential election. 'She's no longer hot:' President Donald Trump takes aim at Taylor Swift In a second Truth Social post later in the morning on May 19, Trump singled out Beyoncé, claiming "news reports" said that she was paid $11 million to appear at a Houston, Texas, rally in October 2024. Beyoncé did appear at the rally with former Destiny's Child co-star Kelly Rowland to address the crowd, but she did not sing. Federal Election Commission records show the Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, but there has been no evidence of an $11 million payment. Beyoncé's mother and the Harris campaign previously denied a rumor about a $10 million payment for the star during the campaign. Tina Knowles said her daughter paid for flights for herself and her team. Beyoncé is currently on her Cowboy Carter and Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. Her song "Freedom," which was used by the Harris campaign, is part of her setlist. Bruce Springsteen performed at multiple Kamala Harris rallies during the 2024 presidential election. The call for an investigation into him comes after the star spoke out about the Trump administration on a British tour earlier this month. 'My home America, the America I've 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,' said Springsteen, as USA TODAY previously reported by a livestream of the show. 'Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American spirit to rise with us, raise your voices and stand with us against authoritarianism and let freedom ring,' said Springsteen. 'There's some very weird, strange, and dangerous (expletive) going on out there right now ... In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.' More: Bruce Springsteen doubles down after Trump calls him 'dried out prune' Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Springsteen were just a few celebrities who endorsed Kamala Harris. Some big names stopped by virtual organizing calls like "White Dudes for Harris.' Here are some other celebrities who endorsed Kamala Harris: Beyoncé Taylor Swift Bruce Springsteen Kerry Washington Julia Roberts Jennifer Lopez Harrison Ford Dick Van Dyke Here are a few celebrities who endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election: Joe Rogan Megyn Kelly Jason Aldean Savannah Chrisley Amber Rose Caitlyn Jenner Kid Rock Hulk Hogan Contributing: Chris Jordan, Joey Garrison, Caché McClay, Jay Stahl, USA TODAY Network Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What did Bruce Springsteen say about Donald Trump? POTUS wants probe
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Trump wants 'major investigation' into Beyoncé, Oprah, other celeb endorsements of Harris
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said he plans to call for a "major investigation" into the celebrity endorsements that Kamala Harris received during the 2024 campaign, alleging without evidence that Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, U2's Bono and Beyoncé were paid to publicly support the Democratic nominee. Representatives of several of the entertainers targeted by Trump − all of whom have previously endorsed Democratic candidates for president − have rejected rumors they were paid to appear with Harris and back her campaign. Trump, in a 1:34 a.m. EDT May 19 post on Truth social, accused Harris of paying for their endorsements "under the guise of paying for entertainment" in a "desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds." Springsteen, Beyoncé and Winfrey each headlined campaign events for Harris. Bono, who is from Ireland, did not, nor did he publicly endorse her candidacy. "IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system," Trump said. Trump did not elaborate on the investigation he has in mind or what entity he wants to lead it. The Federal Election Commission does not have rules explicitly prohibiting candidates from paying for endorsements. Trump followed up on his overnight social media post with a subsequent post at 9:11 am EDT singling out Beyoncé with an unfounded claim involving a rally she hosted in October 2024 for Harris in Houston. Trump wrote that "according to news report" Beyoncé was paid $11 million "to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!" "BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!" Trump said in his post. A representative of Harris did not immediately response to a request for comment. It is unclear where Trump got the unsubstantiated $11 million figure. The Harris campaign last year rejected a rumor that it paid Beyoncé $10 million for her endorsement that spread on social media shortly after the music star's October 2024 appearance with Harris. Beyoncé, Springsteen and Winfrey each endorsed Barack Obama, Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in previous elections, including the 2016 and 2020 races in which Trump was the Republican nominee. Bono has a long history of backing liberal causes. The Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, according to finance records reported to the Federal Election Commission. The payment came about a month after the two appeared together at the Houston rally. Beyoncé did not perform at the rally but instead spoke about her support for Harris alongside her Destiny's Child group mate, Kelly Rowland. Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé, pushed back at the $10 million rumor at the time, calling it "false information" and a "lie" in a post on Instagram. "In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team," Knowles said. Trump escalates his feud with Bruce Springsteen The Harris campaign, which spent lavishly after raising more than $1 billion over just 107 days, also paid $1 million to Harpo Productions, the company Winfrey owns, after the television star hosted a town hall event for Harris that featured appearance from other celebrities such as comedian Chris Rock, actresses Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, actor Ben Stiller, and singer Jennifer Lopez. The payments to Winfrey's production company came in two $500,000 sums on Oct. 15, 2024. Winfrey said the money went to employees who put on the event, not to her personally. 'I did not take any personal fee," Winfrey said in a video posted on Instagram. "However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story." After Harris emerged as the 2024 Democratic nominee, Beyoncé granted her campaign permission to use her song "Freedom" as its anthem. Winfrey, a registered independent voter who previously endorsed Clinton and Obama, delivered a forceful case for Harris during a primetime appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump's focus on Springsteen comes after Trump lashed out at the rock icon con after he condemned the president's "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration' during the first show of his British tour last week. "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy,' Trump said in a May 16 post on Truth Social. "Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden." Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Demands Investigation Into Beyoncé and Three Other Major Stars
President Trump wants to investigate Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, and Oprah Winfrey. '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 BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,' he wrote on Truth Social at 1:34 a.m. on Monday. '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 & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!' This is an incredibly useless thing to post so late at night. Trump is irked at Bruce Springsteen talking about how much he dislikes him on tour, so he goes on an unhinged rant calling for a Justice Department investigation that would do nothing for anyone, especially not anyone who actually needs help. It's rich to read a man who is making shady billion-dollar crypto deals and who just accepted a luxury jumbo jet from the Qatari government speak about what is 'CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL.' For what it's worth, the Harris campaign did come under scrutiny for making some large checks to the production companies of Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé, especially after she was defeated so resoundingly. The Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé's Parkwood Production Media LLC on November 19, and $1 million to Oprah's Harpo Productions.
