Kamala Harris: Trying to Buy the Presidency with Beyoncé Endorsement?
Over the weekend, controversy swirled around former President Donald Trump’s bombshell accusation that industry powerhouse Beyoncé had unlawfully accepted $11 million for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. A case, he alleges, of deep-seated Democratic corruption. However, it appears the facts don’t line up with Trump’s narrative. For starters, no evidence has emerged to suggest that Beyoncé received such a colossal sum for her endorsement.
Trump sounded the alarm bells on social media, alleging fraud at an October 2024 event in Houston, Texas. Here, acclaimed singer Beyoncé openly supported Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency. Trump’s claim, however, centered on an alleged $11 million payment to Beyoncé for this endorsement—a grandiose claim unsupported by empirical evidence.
Federal records reveal a payment of $165,000 from the Harris campaign to Beyoncé’s production company. The Harris campaign records this as a ‘campaign event production’ expense and categorically denies divvying out hefty sums to celebrity endorsers. Instead, they claim to just cover the costs related to their appearances, as required by law.
Trump’s assertions of unlawful conduct severely lack in proportionality; the reported campaign expense falls staggeringly short of his notorious $11 million claim. His allegations have stirred the pot among his followers, but to this day, no proof has bubbled up to substantiate this ludicrous sum.
Requests for evidence supporting Trump’s hefty monetary figure fell on deaf ears at the White House. Previously, Trump vaguely pointed towards an undisclosed source as his informant, stating, ‘Somebody just showed me something. They gave her $11 million.’
Squashing down Trump’s conspiracy, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, took to social media to refute the claim. She lambasted the fabricated accusation as a ‘lie’ and stressed that Instagram had promptly dismantled it as ‘False Information.’ Knowles fiercely defended her daughter, insisting, ‘Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at Vice President Kamala Harrris’s Rally in Houston.’
A spokesperson for Beyoncé debunked the theory about a $10 million payment as being ‘beyond ridiculous.’ Trump, however, remains undeterred and keeps breathing life into this debunked claim.
In the wee hours in Scotland, Trump took to social media, declaring that he was investigating the dubious fact of Democrats ‘probably illegally’ paying ‘Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT.’ Democratic authorities continue to reject any mention of an $11 million payment.
Furthermore, Trump has condemned payments from the Harris campaign to bodies linked with influential endorsers. He deplores these remunerations as erratically reported in spending records – accusations he makes without providing a shred of evidence.
An interesting twist to these accusations is Trump’s assertion that paying for political endorsements is ‘TOTALLY ILLEGAL.’ However, this statement conflicts with the fact that federal law doesn’t expressly outlaw endorsement payments.
Capping off his explosive social media post, Trump hurls an allegation at Kamala Harris and other endorsement recipients. He states they ‘BROKE THE LAW’ with these endorsements dealings and demands that they ‘should all be prosecuted!’ Trump’s long-running penchant for targeting his political adversaries is once again in the spotlight.
Formerly in May, Trump had mentioned a ‘major investigation’ regarding Harris and celebrity endorsements but had refrained from demanding outright prosecutions. Now, he seems to have abandoned any subtlety and is demanding legal action.
To date, evidence fails to converge with Trump’s narrative of an $11 million endorsement intervention by Beyoncé. But despite the rampant skepticism around his claims, Trump continues to fester this controversy.
In the face of nuanced reality and fact-checking, the concerning trend of misinformation continues to undermine the democratic platform. It seems that some actors are more invested in cultivating division through contrived narratives rather than embracing the complex reality of our political sphere.
Ultimately, as we sift through the facts and scrutinize allegations, we’re confronted with an uncomfortable political landscape distorted by conspiracy theories. The credibility of these accusations, much like the supposed $11 million endorsement, remains substantially unproven.