On Monday, May 19, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to launch a “major investigation” into Vice President Kamala Harris over alleged campaign finance violations involving celebrity endorsements during her 2024 presidential bid.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Harris of illegally using campaign funds to pay for endorsements under the guise of entertainment expenses.
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” Trump wrote. “I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter.”
Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race, received public support from high-profile entertainers including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Springsteen. Her campaign sought to harness celebrity influence to energize young and diverse voters. Despite this strategy, her campaign ultimately ended in defeat.
One focal point of the controversy is a $1 million payment from the Harris campaign to Oprah Winfrey’s production company, which her team claims covered the costs of hosting a campaign event. The Harris campaign has denied other reports, including allegations of a $10 million payment to Beyoncé, calling them “completely false.”
Campaign finance records filed by the Harris campaign show only one minor endorsement-related expense: a $75 payment to an environmental advocacy group. The limited disclosure has raised questions about whether other endorsement-related payments were omitted or misclassified.
Trump, who received limited celebrity backing during the campaign—primarily from conservative media personalities such as podcast host Joe Rogan—used his Truth Social platform to criticize the entertainers who supported Harris and question the legitimacy of their involvement.
“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president?” Trump asked. “Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers?”
The remarks come on the heels of a public feud between Trump and Springsteen. During a concert in the U.K., the singer described the Trump administration as “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.” Trump fired back, labeling the 74-year-old artist as “highly overrated.”
Springsteen, a longtime critic of Trump and prominent liberal voice, was among the artists who publicly endorsed Harris after she assumed leadership of the Democratic ticket.
As of now, there has been no official confirmation of a federal investigation. Harris’s team has not issued a formal response to Trump’s announcement.
