Donald Trump continued his ostensible effort to distract from the Epstein files fallout by reviving his wildly unfounded accusation that celebrities like Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey were illegally paid millions to endorse Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.
Over the weekend, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was “looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for ‘expenses,’ to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV ‘anchor,’ Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING!”
This is not the first time Trump has aired these types of allegations. Back in May, for instance, he called for a “major investigation” after claiming that Harris violated campaign finance law by paying figures like Beyoncé, Oprah, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono for endorsements “under the guise of paying for entertainment.”
He reiterated this in his Truth Social post on Saturday, claiming the “ridiculous fees” received by Beyoncé, Oprah, and Shrapton were “incorrectly stated in the books and records.” He added, “Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!”
Trump has not offered any evidence of wrongdoing against the Harris campaign or the celebrities he’s accused. Additionally, there is technically no law against campaigns paying celebrities for endorsements, though any payments do need to be disclosed. Similarly, when it comes to hosting events with celebrities, campaigns are required to cover the fair-market value costs of production so as to prevent individuals or companies from donating more than federal contribution limits.
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For instance, when Beyoncé appeared at a rally for Harris in Houston, Harris’ campaign paid her company $165,000 for “campaign event production,” according to campaign-finance records (via The New York Times). That figure is, of course, significantly lower than the $11 million sum Trump has falsely accused her of receiving. (The multi-million figure began circulating online not long after the Houston campaign event, and Harris’ campaign quickly debunked it as “not true.”)
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Similarly, Winfrey’s company was paid $1 million to cover production costs and salaries related to a live-streamed town hall in Detroit. Winfrey has previously said the sum did not include a personal fee. And the $1 million sum is also notably less than the $3 million Trump has accused Winfrey of taking.
Reps for Beyoncé and Winfrey did not immediately return requests for comment. A rep for Sharpton’s National Action Network said, “There was unequivocally no violation. National Action Network never made an endorsement and Rev. Al Sharpton never received anything.”
