US President Donald Trump has called for a “major investigation” into what he described as “illegal” payments made to celebrities who supported Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential campaign.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump questioned whether payments to performers for campaign appearances amounted to unlawful contributions.
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump wrote. “ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION?”
Trump named several well-known figures, including Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, and Beyoncé. Citing media reports, he claimed: “Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG.”
He argued that the Harris campaign paid for endorsements “under the guise of paying for entertainment” and said such payments were not allowed.
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did,” Trump said. “For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalise on a broken system.”
None of the celebrities named have publicly responded to Trump’s claims. Oprah Winfrey had earlier said she did not receive a personal fee for appearing at a Harris campaign event.
Harris’s short presidential campaign included support from several well-known artists, with performances and appearances by Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and others.
