US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé of taking millions of dollars from Democrats during the 2024 election in return for their endorsements. He has also declared that former Vice President Kamala Harris be prosecuted along with Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Al Sharpton, according to US media reports.
Trump said that he was "looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats," claiming that the two A-listers had received $14 million from the party between them.
The accusation follows a week of Trump's renewed interest in the Democrats' spending during the 2024 campaign. On Monday, Trump claimed that Beyoncé had been paid $11 million "to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off" without doing any kind of musical performance.
“I’m looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election,” Trump began on Truth Social Saturday. “These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO.”
“Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out.”
Kamala Harris campaign drew massive criticism over $165,000 payments to Beyonce’s production company, Parkwood Entertainment, for an Oct. 26 Houston rally. The payment was made on November 19, weeks after Beyoncé endorsed Harris at a rally in Houston.
Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Productions, was paid $1 million for a live stream event she helped organize in Michigan. Harris’ team also sent $500,000 to Sharpton’s National Action Network, according to New York Post.
Records from the Federal Election Commission do not show an $11 million payment from the Harris campaign to Beyoncé. Trump did not cite specific news reports in his post, and it is unclear where the $11 million figure came from.
Beyoncé said at a campaign rally for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October: "I'm not here as a celebrity. I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother—a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we're not divided."
“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.”
Trump has peddled similar claims in the past. Last December, he alleged the Harris campaign paid the three for an endorsement, but cited slightly different figures. That time, he claimed Democrats sent “$11,000,000, $2,000,000, and $500,000 to get the ENDORSEMENT of Beyoncé, Oprah, and Reverend Al.”
“Beyoncé didn’t sing, Oprah didn’t do much of anything (she called it ‘expenses’), and Al is just a third rate Con Man,” he groused at the time.
In May, Trump revisited the accusations as well, publicly asking how much the Harris campaign paid Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Winfrey and Beyonce.
The Harris campaign previously addressed questions about the payments made to Beyonce’s production company and denied paying for an endorsement.
Beyonce’s mother has also publicly denied reports that her daughter was paid up to $11 million to speak at the Harris rally.
Winfrey has also previously insisted she “was not paid a dime” to participate in the event with Harris, but instead had production fees covered by the campaign. The White House has not yet confirmed if it will be pursuing any legal action against the Democrats or the Harris campaign.
