Donald Trump Accuses Beyoncé and Oprah of Receiving Unlawful Payments to Support Kamala Harris
Former President Donald Trump has stirred controversy once again, this time targeting high-profile celebrities over alleged campaign finance violations. In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that singer Beyoncé, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton were secretly paid large sums of money to publicly back Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.
Trump alleged that Beyoncé was handed a staggering $11 million simply to appear briefly at a Harris campaign rally, endorse the candidate, and then leave without performing—a move he says triggered boos from the crowd. “These people were paid for doing absolutely nothing,” Trump wrote. “IT IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL TO BUY AN ENDORSEMENT.”
He also claimed Oprah received $3 million and Sharpton $600,000 to lend their support to Harris, but provided no documentation to support these accusations. Major news organizations, including Newsweek, have stated that the allegations remain unverified.
Harris’ campaign quickly pushed back against the claims. A representative denied the widely shared $10 million figure allegedly paid to Beyoncé, pointing to her brief appearance at a 2024 rally where she stated, “I’m not here as a celebrity… I’m here as a mother who cares deeply about our future.”
Public records from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show no $11 million transfer to Beyoncé. However, they do indicate that her media company, Parkwood Entertainment, was paid $165,000. Similarly, Sharpton’s nonprofit, the National Action Network, reportedly received $500,000, and Harpo Productions—Oprah’s company—was paid $1 million for helping organize a livestreamed campaign event in Michigan.
Trump also accused the campaign of disguising the payments in official filings and urged federal authorities to pursue criminal charges. As of now, the White House has not responded with any official comment or action regarding Trump’s allegations.
While the claims have fueled political speculation, no government agency has substantiated Trump’s accusations, and available campaign records do not support the scale of payments he described.