‘It’s Not Legal’: Trump Rages Against Parade of Celebrities Who Endorsed Harris During ‘24 Campaign

President Trump has called for a “major investigation” into Vice President Harris, accusing her of violating campaign finance laws by allegedly paying prominent artists to perform at rallies and endorse her during her failed presidential campaign.Taking to Truth Social, Mr. Trump criticized Ms. Harris for her celebrity-filled campaign events leading up to the November election, singling out performances and support by Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and U2’s Bono.“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Mr. Trump posted. “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???”Mr. Trump went on to call her campaign strategy “a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system,” and insisted on a thorough investigation into the matter.Ms. Harris gained numerous high-profile endorsements shortly after entering the presidential race in July, following the withdrawal of President Biden. Her run received the backing of celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, LeBron James, George Clooney, and Taylor Swift.Additionally, chart-topping artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Megan Thee Stallion, Mr. Springsteen, Ricky Martin, Jon Bon Jovi, 2 Chainz, and Mumford & Sons performed at her campaign events to motivate voter turnout.One notable event featured Mr. Springsteen performing at Temple University in October, alongside an appearance by President Obama. Just days before, Beyoncé joined Ms. Harris at an event in Houston, though the singer did not perform, angering some attendees.Ms. Harris also made a joint appearance with Oprah Winfrey at the Philadelphia Museum steps on the eve of Election Day. Reports said Ms. Harris’s campaign paid $1 million to Ms. Winfrey’s production company. Ms. Harris’s team denied any payments to the billionaire talk show host, but a later campaign finance filing confirmed the payment. The Washington Times reported shortly after the election that Ms. Harris’s campaign spent at least $20 million on celebrity appearances.“This was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL!” Ms. Trump insisted in another post, targeting both Ms. Harris and the celebrities. “For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system.”Scrutiny of Ms. Harris’s campaign tactics intensified after accusations arose claiming her campaign paid some endorsing celebrities. A Federal Election Commission representative told VerifyThis.com that there is no law explicitly prohibiting political endorsements from being paid, as long as fair market value is paid for associated ancillary costs, such as wages for band members or production staff.

‘It’s Not Legal’: Trump Rages Against Parade of Celebrities Who Endorsed Harris During ‘24 Campaign

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