President Donald Trump was widely criticized after he called for "major investigations" into several Hollywood celebrities—a group that includes musicians Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé Knowles, and Bono–for supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump's outburst came after Springsteen criticized Trump and his "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration" during a concert in Manchester, England. Notably, Springsteen said that U.S. authorities under Trump "are persecuting people for using their right to speech and voicing their dissent."
And Trump made clear he intends to do just that, writing the following message on Truth Social:
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
You can see his post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
The whole rant is absurd, of course, considering these entertainers are all longstanding supporters of Democratic candidates and causes. Clearly, they did not need any financial incentive to endorse Kamala Harris. And if in fact these celebrities did get paid to perform or appear at campaign events, that would be the opposite of a campaign contribution, actually. Would Trump encourage the same sort of scrutiny of right-wing entertainers' appearances at his campaign events? Of course not.
His comments came amid a broader right-wing narrative that resurfaced last year when online personalities floated the idea that Beyoncé had been paid to appear at a Harris rally. Tina Knowles, the singer’s mother, dismissed the accusation as “a lie,” stating unequivocally that “Beyoncé was not paid $10 million to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Many have condemned his remarks.
Trump made similar accusations back in December.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by USA Today show that Harris's campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, on November 19, 2024. Similarly, Springsteen’s Thrill Hill Productions received $75,000 that same day.
As for Oprah, campaign filings show two $500,000 payments to her company, Harpo Productions, in October 2024. Winfrey clarified in a video at the time that while she "did not take any personal fee," those "who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story."
There’s no indication the confirmed payments were personal fees—and no reason to assume the artists personally profited from the appearances. The FEC has not publicly responded to Trump’s call for an investigation. It remains unclear whether any formal complaint has been submitted.
