Harris payment dispute

Trump is demanding a federal investigation into Kamala Harris’ payments to celebrities during her 2024 campaign. — Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

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Summary

Celebrity cash claims

Trump accused Kamala Harris of illegally paying stars like Beyoncé, Oprah, and Springsteen during her 2024 campaign.

What filings show

FEC documents confirm Harris’ campaign paid Parkwood, Harpo, and Thrill Hill Productions — but in amounts far lower than Trump claimed.

Oprah denies payment

Despite a $1 million payment to Harpo Productions, Oprah told TMZ she received no personal payment for her endorsement.

Full story

President Donald Trump is calling for a “major investigation” into Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ use of celebrity endorsements during her 2024 presidential campaign. In a Truth Social post, he accused Harris of using campaign funds to pay stars like Beyoncé, Oprah and Bruce Springsteen.

Trump posted early Monday morning, questioning:

“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president? …Isn’t that a major and illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyoncé? …And how much went to Oprah, and Bono???”

Harris’ star-studded campaign

Throughout her campaign, Harris drew performances and support from big names like Bon Iver, Maren Morris, Megan Thee Stallion, and Stevie Wonder.

However, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland generated the most buzz at a record-breaking Texas rally. According to Newsweek, the October event brought in 30,000 attendees — the largest crowd of her campaign.

In a follow-up post, Trump alleged Beyoncé was paid $11 million for her appearance, despite not performing. However, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show a different amount.

The Harris campaign reported paying Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s production company, $165,000 for campaign event production services, not $11 million.

Likewise, filings confirm the campaign paid Thrill Hill Productions, Bruce Springsteen’s production company, $75,000 for “travel and event production.” That payment came in November 2024, a month after he performed at one of Harris’ rallies.

FEC rules require campaigns to pay fair market value for all services, including event production and appearances, and mandate full transparency in financial filings.

In his Truth Social post, Trump further wrote:

“It’s not legal! For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a corrupt & unlawful way to capitalize on a broken system.”

Oprah payment disputed

Oprah Winfrey also came under scrutiny after a Washington Examiner report revealed the Harris campaign paid Harpo Productions $1 million on Oct. 15, 2024.

At the end of her campaign, Harris had reportedly raised over $1 billion, yet ended with a $20 million deficit.

Despite the report, Winfrey denied being paid a personal fee for her endorsement to TMZ.

Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor) and Lea Mercado (Digital Production Manager) contributed to this report.

Tags: beyonce, Celebrities, Donald Trump, Federal Election Commission, Kamala Harris, Presidential Campaign, Truth Social

[KENNEDY FELTON]

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS CALLING FOR A “MAJOR INVESTIGATION” INTO KAMALA HARRIS’ CELEBRITY BACKED CAMPAIGN – QUESTIONING HOW MUCH HER TEAM PAID STARS LIKE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN… BEYONCE… AND OPRAH.

TRUMP POSTED TO TRUTH SOCIAL EARLY MONDAY MORNING – “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???”

OVER THE COURSE OF HER CAMPAIGN… HARRIS ATTRACTED A LONG LIST OF CELEBRITIES – INCLUDING BON IVER… MEGAN THEE STALLION… MAREN MORRIS… STEVIE WONDER… AND MORE.

BUT BEYONCE AND KELLY ROWLAND STOLE THE SPOTLIGHT IN TEXAS.

NEWSWEEK REPORTED HARRIS’ TEAM DREW A RECORD BREAKING CROWD OF 30-THOUSAND PEOPLE – HER LARGEST RALLY TO DATE.

Beyonce: “WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE STANDING HERE ON THIS STAGE AS PROUD, COUNTRY, TEXAS WOMAN.”

TRUMP LATER CLAIMED BEYONCE WAS PAID 11 MILLION-DOLLARS TO APPEAR AT THAT EVENT… EVEN THOUGH SHE ONLY GAVE A SPEECH AND DID NOT PERFORM.

FEDERAL ELECTION RULES REQUIRE CAMPAIGNS TO PAY FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR GOODS AND SERVICES – INCLUDING PERFORMANCES AND EVENT PRODUCTION.

THEY ALSO MUST REPORT ALL PAYMENTS IN OFFICIAL F-E-C FILINGS.

FILINGS SHOW THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN PAID 75-THOUSAND TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S PRODUCTION COMPANY… ABOUT A MONTH AFTER HIS RALLY PERFORMANCE.

THEY ALSO PAID 165-THOUSAND TO BEYONCE’S COMPANY FOR EVENT PRODUCTION – NOT THE $11 MILLION TRUMP SUGGESTED.

HE FURTHER SAYS HE IS CALLING FOR A MAJOR INVESTIGATION AS QUOTE – “IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic “entertainers,” this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system.”

AT THE END OF 20-24… IT WAS REPORTED THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN RAISED OVER 1-BILLION DOLLARS… BUT ENDED THEIR CAMPAIGN WITH A 20-MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT.

AMONG A WASHINGTON EXAMINER ANALYSIS… 1-MILLION DOLLARS WAS PAID TO OPRAH WINFREY’S PRODUCTION COMPANY ON OCTOBER 15-TH.

BUT OPRAH HAS DENIED BEING PAID A PERSONAL FEE TO CAMPAIGN FOR HARRIS… THOUGH HER PRODUCTION COMPANY WAS.

paprazzi: “IS IT TRUE THEY PAID YOU A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE ENDORSEMENT?”

Oprah: “NOT TRUE. I WAS PAID NOTHING.”

Why this story matters

The story highlights the intersection of politics, celebrity influence, and campaign finance regulations by reporting President Donald Trump's accusations that Kamala Harris' campaign illegally paid entertainers for endorsements during the 2024 presidential election, a claim that has been widely denied by the accused parties and for which no public evidence has been provided.

Celebrity political involvement

High-profile celebrity endorsements in political campaigns reflect the growing role of entertainment figures in attempting to sway public opinion and energize supporters.

Campaign finance transparency

Questions about legally permissible campaign expenditures and the distinction between payments for services and paid endorsements underscore the importance of transparency and compliance with campaign finance laws.

Get the big picture

Synthesized coverage insights across 241 media outlets

Behind the numbers

Campaign finance records show the Harris campaign paid $165,000 to Beyoncé’s production company, $1 million to Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, and about $75,000 to Bruce Springsteen’s company for event-related services. Both companies clarified these payments covered production and staff costs, not personal fees. There is no evidence for the $11 million figure alleged for Beyoncé.

Context corner

Celebrity endorsements have long played a role in American political campaigns, often drawing attention and mobilizing specific demographics. Historically, while campaigns can legally pay for production and support costs, direct payment for an individual’s endorsement is prohibited.

Policy impact

The controversy reignites scrutiny of Federal Election Commission rules regarding payments to performers and production companies at campaign events. While current law allows reimbursement for production expenses, direct payment for endorsements remains illegal.

Sources

Bias comparison

Media outlets on the left frame Trump’s demand for a “major investigation” as a late-night “meltdown” or “rant,” emphasizing emotional instability and portraying his claims as baseless distractions from more pressing issues, often highlighting social media backlash from Black communities critical of Trump’s motives.
Media outlets in the center maintain neutral, fact-focused language, neither condemning nor endorsing Trump’s claims, thus standing apart by providing legal expert context absent in polarized narratives.
Media outlets on the right adopt a confrontational tone, using terms like “unlawful,” “corrupt,” and “paid for endorsements” to cast Harris’s campaign and supportive celebrities as potentially engaged in illegal and unpatriotic behavior, underscoring large payment amounts as evidence of wrongdoing.

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Media landscape

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241 total sources

Key points from the Left

Donald Trump has initiated a call for a 'major investigation' into Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and others, alleging they received illegal payments for their endorsements of Kamala Harris during her campaign for president.
The Harris campaign has denied Trump's claims, stating all payments made were for standard production costs as required by law, not for endorsements.
Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé's mother have defended their involvement, claiming no personal payments were received for their participation in Harris' events.

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Key points from the Center

President Donald Trump announced plans to initiate a significant inquiry into alleged payments made to celebrities at events supporting Kamala Harris’s campaign.
Trump alleges Harris paid stars like Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen millions to endorse her, claiming this could be illegal campaign contributions despite lacking evidence.
Harris sought to use celebrity influence during her 2024 run, with her campaign denying payment rumors and reporting smaller legitimate event-related expenditures.
Trump accused Beyonce of receiving $11 million to endorse Harris at a late October Houston rally attended by 30,000 people, where she did not perform any songs.

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Key points from the Right

President Donald Trump called for a major investigation into Kamala Harris over allegations that she illegally paid celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé for endorsements during her campaign.
Trump accused Harris of making large payments for celebrity endorsements, asserting that candidates cannot pay for endorsements under the guise of entertainment.
Beyoncé's production company was reportedly paid $165,000, and Oprah's company received $1 million for campaign-related events; however, no payments for endorsements have been proven.

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