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President Donald Trump is calling for a "major investigation" over alleged payments to celebrities who endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
Hours ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump took his Truth Social platform on Monday (May 19) to attack Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono over unfounded claims that they were paid to endorse Harris, per MSNBC.
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump wrote. “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," he continued. "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.”
Later on Monday, Trump further alleged that Bey was paid $11 million for her Houston appearance at Harris' rally.
“According to news reports, 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!” the president said on Truth Social.
“Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”
Despite Trump accusing Harris of engaging in "illegal election scam," Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show the Harris campaign didn't pay Beyoncé $11 million. Harris' team made a $165,000 payment to Parkwood Production Media, Bey's production company, for "campaign event production" weeks after the singer's appearance at the rally, according to the FEC. There's no evidence of Harris or her campaign paying for endorsements, and there's nothing "illegal" about celebrities backing a presidential candidate.
Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, previously shut down MAGA claims that her daughter was paid to endorse the former vice president, calling the allegation a "lie" and "false information."
"Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris' Rally in Houston," Knowles wrote on social media in November. "In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam."
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