On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced plans to launch a “major investigation” into his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris, focusing on the celebrities who supported her unsuccessful presidential campaign.
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter.”
Kamala Harris aimed to leverage the support of high-profile celebrities like Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey to boost her 2024 election campaign.
Oprah Winfrey defended a $1 million payment from the Harris campaign to her production company, covering costs related to her hosting the presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Harris’s team denied rumors that they paid pop icon Beyoncé $10 million to appear at a rally. Financial reports showed the campaign only listed one endorsement-related expense of $75 to an environmental advocacy group.
In contrast, Trump, who won the election decisively, had limited support from the broader entertainment industry but leveraged a niche group of influential, hypermasculine figures like podcast host Joe Rogan.
On Monday, the president targeted Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Springsteen, accusing Harris of paying the iconic rock star to perform at a rally in Georgia just weeks before the election.
“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president?” he wrote.
“Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers?”
Last week, Trump used Truth Social to clash with Springsteen after the musician called the US government “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” during a concert in the UK.
In return, the 78-year-old Republican said the star, nicknamed “the Boss,” is “Highly Overrated.”
Springsteen, a vocal liberal critic of Trump, supported Harris after she stepped in to replace Democratic President Joe Biden, who decided not to seek reelection.
