Harris’s campaign paid huge sums to celebrities as it burned through over $1 billion in three months
President Donald Trump called for “major investigations” Monday into Kamala Harris’s campaign payments to celebrities and entertainers who endorsed the Democrat’s failed presidential campaign.
Trump singled out Harris campaign payments to pop star Beyoncé Knowles, rocker Bruce Springsteen, and other entertainers in a series of posts on Truth Social. Harris’s team paid millions of dollars to those celebrities and others in hopes that star appeal would turn out voters. Harris’s campaign paid Knowles’s production company $165,000 for an appearance at a Houston campaign rally on Oct. 25 and $75,000 to Springsteen’s company for a gig in Philadelphia on Oct. 29, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
“THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION!” Trump wrote. “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.”
Trump did not say whether he wants the Department of Justice or Congress to investigate the payments. But any probe could shine an embarrassing light on the Harris campaign’s finances as she weighs whether to run again for president in 2028. Many Democratic donors have fumed at the Harris payments to celebrities after the campaign burned $1.5 billion in just three months. In addition to celebrity payments, Harris doled out hundreds of millions of dollars to Democratic advertising firms and consultants, only to lose decisively to Trump in November.
According to campaign finance records, Harris’s campaign paid $211,000 to the touring company of Latin singer Ricky Martin, $20,000 to the rapper Fat Joe, and $80,000 to R&B singer Victoria Monét. Most of the musicians performed at the campaign events. Springsteen gave a brief speech and a short acoustic set at a Harris event in Philadelphia on Oct. 29.
The Harris campaign has denied paying for celebrity endorsements, and said that any payments to entertainers were for “ancillary costs” for their performances. But that may not explain the exorbitant payments to entertainers who spoke at Harris events without musical performances.
Knowles, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, gave just a four-minute speech at the Houston event, saying she was “here as a mother.” Knowles did not perform any music at the event, angering many fans who expected her to perform.
And rapper Cardi B, who has bragged in the past about drugging men and stealing their money, claimed she “didn’t get paid a dollar” to appear at an event for Harris in Milwaukee on Nov. 1. “I actually came out of pocket for glam and travel because it’s somewhere I wanted to be,” Cardi B said on social media in November.
But campaign records show Harris’s campaign paid $58,000 to Cardi B’s production company, the Free Beacon reported.
Trump has criticized Harris’s campaign payments before. In January, he accused Harris of making “illegal” payments to the nonprofit group of MSNBC host Al Sharpton. The Free Beacon reported that Harris’s campaign paid $500,000 to Sharpton’s organization, the National Action Network, just days before Sharpton interviewed Harris on MSNBC.
“Totally against the law,” Trump said.
Campaign records also show Harris paid $50,000 to the entertainment company of billionaire NBA superstar Lebron James and $35,000 to actress Jennifer Garner. James posted a 90-second video on his social media accounts on Oct. 31 that touted Harris and portrayed Trump as a racist. Garner spoke at several Harris campaign events. The campaign also paid $95,000 to the company of Barack and Michelle Obama, who appeared at several events for Harris before the election.
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