Trump accused the former vice president of paying for endorsements from Oprah Winfrey and others.
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Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris embraces singer Beyoncé at a campaign rally on October 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)
Donald Trump floated the idea of prosecuting Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Rev. Al Sharpton and Kamala Harris in a post to Truth Social on Saturday night.
The president alleged that the Harris campaign paid for celebrity endorsements and then cooked their books to hide that fact.
“I’m looking 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 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 to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING!” he wrote. “These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records.”
Trump has previously accused Harris’ campaign of paying for endorsements. In December, he made similar claims about the three public figures, calling Sharpton a “third-rate con man.”
“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!” he wrote on Saturday. “Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!”
The Harris campaign has denied paying any of the celebrities who endorsed the former vice president. While it is not illegal for federal campaigns to pay for endorsements, the campaign would need to disclose those payments.
Winfrey addressed the allegations on Instagram in November. The legendary talk show host noted that her production team was paid for putting on the show, but she “was not paid a dime” for her appearance.
“My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign,” Winfrey wrote. “I did not take any personal fee. However, the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.”
The Harris campaign was extensively criticized over its record levels of spending following Trump’s victory in 2024. The campaign raised nearly a billion dollars and ended up more than $20 million in debt, thanks to heavy spending on consultants and advertising.
By
Alex Galbraith
Alex Galbraith is Salon’s nights and weekends editor, and author of our free daily newsletter, Crash Course. He is based in New Orleans.
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