President Donald Trump has called for a “major investigation” into several celebrity endorsements former Vice President Kamala Harris received during the 2024 presidential campaign, suggesting without evidence that some of the celebrities were illegally paid for their endorsements.
Among the celebrities the president suggests were illegally paid for their endorsements are Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce, each of whom appeared at Harris campaign events last year.
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” Trump wrote in a pair of social media posts Monday.
The Harris campaign paid Beyonce’s company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, $165,000 on Nov. 19, 2024, weeks after Beyonce took the stage at a Harris campaign rally in Houston and publicly endorsed Harris, according to campaign records.
Last year as unfounded claims about the Harris campaign’s payments for celebrity endorsements spread, senior campaign adviser Adrienne Elrod told Deadline, “We do not pay.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris received a number of celebrity endorsements during the 2024 presidential campaign. President Donald Trump has called for a “major investigation” into these endorsements, implying without proof that some of the celebrities were improperly compensated for them.
According to experts, there is no FEC law that prohibits campaign payments for endorsements, and some of the celebrities have openly denied receiving any fees at all.
Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen, and Beyonce are among the celebrities the president claims were improperly compensated for their endorsements; all three made appearances at Harris campaign events last year.
In two social media posts on Monday, Trump stated, “Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”.
Winfrey and Beyonce’s mother, who owns her production company, both claimed that the payments were for production expenses related to the events they took part in. The Harris campaign paid production companies founded by Winfrey, Springsteen, and Beyonce for services rendered during and after the 2024 election.
As long as the payments are properly disclosed, campaign law experts told ABC News that the Federal Election Commission has no laws prohibiting federal campaigns from paying influencers or celebrities for endorsements, nor would they be regarded as unlawful contributions as Trump claimed. According to the experts, disclosure requirements for paid endorsements are governed by the Federal Trade Commission.
According to disclosures of campaign funds, the Harris campaign paid Winfrey’s business, Harpo Productions, $1 million in total for “event production” in October. about a month after Winfrey conducted an interview with Harris at a “Unite for America” campaign rally in Detroit in September of 2024.
“I didn’t accept any personal fees. Nonetheless, the individuals who contributed to that production were entitled to compensation, and they were. Winfrey responded to Trump’s accusation in a social media video, saying, “End of story.”.
In November, the Harris campaign gave $165,000 to Beyonce’s business, Parkwood Production Media LLC. 19, 2024, weeks after Beyonce publicly endorsed Harris at a Harris campaign rally in Houston, according to campaign documents.
In a social media video, Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mother, called the claim that her daughter received payment for her endorsement a “lie,” pointing out that Beyonce also covered the cost of her team’s and her own return airfare.
The Harris campaign provided funding to Thrill Hill Productions, Inc., Springsteen’s production company. for “travel and event production” in November, about $75,000. Records indicate that on 19/2024, about a month after he played at a Harris campaign rally in Georgia. The payment made to Springsteen’s company by the campaign has not been discussed in public.
Senior campaign adviser Adrienne Elrod told Deadline last year, as rumors circulated regarding the Harris campaign’s payments for celebrity endorsements, “We do not pay.”. We have never given money to a performer or artist. That individual has never received payment from us. “,”.
“There are laws that have to be followed that we have followed religiously on this campaign,” Elrod told Deadline, adding that the campaign has paid “for any ancillary costs for that performance.” He also noted that FEC regulations require campaigns to pay fair market value for the ancillary costs of holding events. “.
ABC News has not discovered any documentation of the Trump campaign or Trump’s other entities paying any of the celebrities who have performed and appeared at Trump’s campaign events over the years or their businesses.
Country music artist Lee Greenwood, whose song “God Bless the USA” is often played at Trump rallies and who has performed at Trump campaign events, claimed on social media in November that he was “happy to have stood by” Trump and that he had not received “any form” payment from the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization for his campaign appearances.
