Donald Trump<\/a> continued his ostensible effort to distract from the<\/a> Epstein files<\/a> fallout<\/a> by reviving his wildly unfounded accusation that celebrities like Beyonc\u00e9<\/a> and Oprah Winfrey<\/a> were illegally paid millions to endorse Kamala Harris<\/a> during the 2024 election.<\/p>\n Over the weekend, Trump wrote on Truth Social<\/a> that he was \u201clooking 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 Beyonc\u00e9 for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for \u2018expenses,\u2019 to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV \u2018anchor,\u2019 Al Sharpton<\/a> (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING!\u201d<\/p>\n This is not the first time<\/a> Trump has aired these types of allegations. Back in May, for instance, he called for a \u201cmajor investigation\u201d<\/a> after claiming that Harris violated campaign finance law by paying figures like Beyonc\u00e9, Oprah, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono for endorsements \u201cunder the guise of paying for entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n He reiterated this in his Truth Social post on Saturday, claiming the \u201cridiculous fees\u201d received by Beyonc\u00e9, Oprah, and Shrapton were \u201cincorrectly stated in the books and records.\u201d He added, \u201cCan 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!\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has not offered any evidence of wrongdoing against the Harris campaign or the celebrities he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n For instance, when Beyonc\u00e9 appeared at a rally for Harris in Houston<\/a>, Harris\u2019 campaign paid her company $165,000 for \u201ccampaign event production,\u201d according to campaign-finance records (via The New York Times<\/a>). 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\u2019 campaign quickly debunked<\/a> it as \u201cnot true.\u201d)<\/p>\n Similarly, Winfrey\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Reps for Beyonc\u00e9 and Winfrey did not immediately return requests for comment. A rep for Sharpton\u2019s National Action Network said, \u201cThere was unequivocally no violation. National Action Network never made an endorsement and Rev. Al Sharpton never received anything.\u201d<\/p>\nLove Music?<\/h2>\n
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