U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to launch a “major investigation” into Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging that her 2024 presidential campaign violated election laws by paying celebrities under the pretense of entertainment expenses.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Harris of illegally financing endorsements. “Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he wrote. “I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter.”
The allegation centers around Harris’s reported collaborations with high-profile figures including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Springsteen during her ultimately unsuccessful campaign to replace President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in the 2024 race.
Winfrey, who publicly supported Harris, reportedly received $1 million from the Harris campaign through her production company. Winfrey later clarified that the funds were intended to cover logistical costs for hosting Harris during a campaign event, and not for a personal endorsement.
Rumors also circulated that Beyoncé was paid $10 million to appear at a Harris rally—claims the Harris campaign has strongly denied. Public filings from the campaign listed only one endorsement-related payment of $75, made to an environmental advocacy group.
Despite Harris’s efforts to rally celebrity support, her campaign failed to gain momentum, and she was ultimately defeated by Trump, who secured a comfortable victory. Trump, meanwhile, received limited backing from mainstream entertainers, instead finding support among a niche group of conservative influencers such as podcast host Joe Rogan.
Trump also took direct aim at Bruce Springsteen, who performed at a Harris rally in Georgia shortly before the election. “How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president?” Trump asked on social media. “Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers?”
This isn’t the first time Trump has sparred with Springsteen. The president recently criticized the rock icon as “Highly Overrated” following a concert in which Springsteen labeled the current U.S. administration “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”
Springsteen, an outspoken critic of Trump, had been one of several liberal figures who rallied behind Harris after she replaced Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic race. Harris’s campaign has yet to respond directly to Trump’s latest allegations.
The White House has not commented on whether any formal inquiry has been initiated into the claims.