In the last few hours, Donald Trump intensified his attacks against the most famous artists and personalities in the United States by accusing several of them of allegedly receiving illegal payments to support Democratic candidate Kamala Harris during the last presidential campaign.
In two posts on his network Truth Social, the President of the United States targeted Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, and also questioned the Irish Bono.
What did Donald Trump say against the artists?
Trump’s accusation, without evidence or support, is for receiving an “illegal campaign contribution” from the Democrats and for this reason he requested the opening of an investigation.
According to the President of the United States, Springsteen, Beyoncé, Bono, and Oprah Winfrey were paid to support Harris. He described these endorsements as “corrupt and illegal” and a violation of campaign finance laws.
“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her presidential campaign? Why did he accept that money if he admires her so much? Isn’t that a big and illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyoncé?... And how much was paid to Oprah and Bono? I will call for a major investigation into this matter,” Trump wrote.
He also stated that it was a desperate and costly attempt to increase attendance at the public events of the former Vice President of the United States: “It’s not legal. For these unpatriotic ‘artists,’ this was just a corrupt and illegal way to take advantage of a broken system.”.
In another post, Trump, citing “press reports” without mentioning any specific media outlet or journalist, directly attacked Beyoncé for allegedly receiving “11 million dollars to step on stage, quickly endorse Kamala, and leave amidst boos without having performed, not even a song. Remember: the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of dollars for doing nothing more than giving total support to Kamala. This is an illegal electoral scam at the highest level.”
Previously, faced with similar attacks from far-right commentators in the United States, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, explained that her daughter not only did not receive payment, but personally covered all logistical and production expenses for the campaign event in Houston.
Trump’s controversy with Bruce Springsteen
Last week, Bruce Springsteen said during a concert in Manchester, England, that “in my home, the United States that I love... is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.” That same statement, with some variations, was repeated in a later performance.
Donald Trump responded by calling “The Boss” an “overrated” artist, “dumber than a rock,” and with a face “atrophied” like “a prune,” in a message posted on his Truth Social platform.
In recent days, Trump’s attacks against the most popular artists in the United States once again included Taylor Swift, suggesting the artist is no longer “hot” after expressing her support for Harris during the presidential campaign. What the President of the United States fails to mention is that since December of last year, Swift has chosen to keep a low profile after the end of “The Eras Tour,” which became a cultural and commercial phenomenon, broke audience records, and generated profits of 2 billion dollars.