President Donald Trump has called for a "major investigation" into celebrities who aided Kamala Harris' 2024 election campaign, including Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono, saying their appearances were potentially illegal contributions.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for the Kamala Harris campaign, Bono, and the production companies for Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, via email, along with Oprah's production company, via LinkedIn, for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump is raising fresh questions about how the Federal Election Commission interprets campaign event performances and what constitutes an in-kind contribution, and the broader implications could influence how future political events harness celebrity influence.
What To Know
The president's call for an investigation comes amid a spat between Trump and Springsteen, after the musician, known as "The Boss," opened his tour on Wednesday night by calling the Trump administration "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous."
In response, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social and called Springsteen "a pushy, obnoxious JERK" and a "dried-out 'prune' of a rocker."
Springsteen spoke out again after Trump's social media post, saying that events in America "are altering the very nature of our country's democracy."
Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Monday: "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. 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."
Trump's made similar comments in December. There is no indication that payments that have been confirmed are personal payments to the performers and there should not be an assumption that they profited personally, or received any money, from the performances referenced.
Records from the Federal Election Commission show that the campaign paid Beyoncé's production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, $165,000 on November 19, 2024, USA Today reported at the time.
Harris also paid $1 million to Oprah's production company Harpo Productions in October—in two $500,000 sums.
Oprah said in a video at the time: "I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story."
Springsteen's production company, Thrill Hill Productions, received a payment of $75,000 from the Harris for President campaign on November 19, 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Just after last year's election, there was a claim that Beyoncé was paid $10 million for her appearance in Harris' campaign.
But the singer's mother, Tina Knowles, hit back in a post on Instagram targeting a post from conservative commentator Candace Owens.
"So, this has been flagged on Instagram as fake news and taken down. It's called false Information," Knowles said.
"The lie is that Beyoncé was paid $10 million to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris," she added. "When in fact: Beyoncé did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris' rally in Houston."
"In fact, she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam," she said.
What People Are Saying
Bruce Springsteen, speaking at his concert: "In my country they're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They're rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won't bow down to their ideological demands."
Beyoncé said at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris last year: "I'm not here as a celebrity, I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we're not divided."
What Happens Next
The Federal Election Commission has not publicly responded to Trump's call for an investigation, and it remains unclear whether any formal complaint has been file.
