In the last days of the , Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are making their final case to voters.
The candidates are busy trying to ramp up media attention to reach different audiences — and celebrities are playing a part.
Pop star Beyoncé recently appeared at a campaign event for Democratic nominee US vice president Kamala Harris in Houston alongside her former Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland.
While she did not perform, Beyoncé delivered a speech to her hometown crowd, announcing: “I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.”
Meanwhile, Republican candidate and former US president Trump sat down for a three-hour interview with celebrity podcaster Joe Rogan in an episode that has been viewed more than 39 million times at the time of writing.
Ava Kalinauskas, a research associate from the United States Studies Centre, told SBS News that both candidates are: “actively trying to court as many constituencies as they can in the final days”.
One way they are trying to do this is by tapping into the audiences of celebrities.
Kalinauskas said Trump and Harris are “really trying to zero in on these sort of micro demographics that might not be politically engaged because candidates desperately need voters to turn out in what could make the tiniest difference”.
Which celebrities have supported candidates?
Beyoncé added to scores of people from the worlds of entertainment and sport who have expressed support for a candidate in this year’s presidential race.
At the Republican National Convention in July, Trump kicked off his campaign with appearances from a number of celebrities, including model and television personality Amber Rose, professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Dana White, and singer Kid Rock.
Trump has since displayed the support of celebrities on his campaign trail including country music star Jason Aldean, actors Zachary Levi and Dennis Quaid, television personality Dr Phil, former National Football League players Antonio Brown and Le’veon Bell and celebrity chef Paula Deen.
Elon Musk has made multiple appearances at Donald Trump rallies and attracted controversy for promising a US$1 million giveaway ($1.5 million) every day until the election. Source: AAP / Evan Vucci/AP
Trump’s close relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk has also been in the media spotlight after Musk established political action group America PAC to back the Republican candidate.
Musk has made multiple appearances at Trump rallies and attracted controversy for in swing states who sign an online petition pledging support for the first and second amendments of the US constitution.
Meanwhile, Harris has secured a number of endorsements and rally appearances from celebrities such as rapper Megan Thee Stallion, TV personality Oprah Winfrey, actor Jennifer Garner, actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry and singers Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Eminem.
On Sunday, singer and songwriter Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, who performs under the name Bad Bunny, signalled his support for Harris to his 45 million Instagram followers.
Ocasio, who is Puerto Rican, reposted a video from the Harris campaign that were widely condemned as racist, during the pre-program at a Trump rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden arena.
Benito Martínez Ocasio, who performs under the name Bad Bunny, was born and raised in Puerto Rico and recently appeared to throw his support behind Kamala Harris. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella
Harris’ campaign, Democrats, some congressional Republicans and several prominent Puerto Rican celebrities denounced the comments, including Jennifer Lopez and singer Ricky Martin, who also posted Harris’ video to their Instagram followers (250 million and 12.6 million, respectively).
Ocasio’s support could prove important to Harris as she vies for the votes of nearly 500,000 Puerto Ricans who live in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
The fight for Taylor Swift
The race for celebrity endorsement has even seen controversial tussles, including Trump falsely claiming through the use of what appeared to AI-generated images in August that he had Taylor Swift’s support.
The post on his social media platform Truth Social included ‘deepfake’ images of young women with the slogan ‘Swifties for Trump’, which were published with the caption, “I accept!”, implying Swift’s endorsement.
Swift made international headlines when she renounced Trump’s claim in September, posting on her Instagram that the “simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth”.
Swift said she would be casting her vote for Harris and running mate, Tim Walz, in the election.
Taylor Swift made international headlines when she endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in September. Source: AAP / Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP
Kalinauskas said that besides Swift’s large and dedicated fan base, her influence with young women was particularly important for the Harris campaign, which has focused heavily on securing abortion rights.
“In the 2022 midterms a lot of reports suggested that abortion was a reason that Democrats managed to stave off a red wave (support for the Republican party) and even gain a seat in the Senate,” she said.
“I think that means women, and young women in particular, are a focal demographic this election and that’s what makes Taylor Swift’s endorsement all the more valuable.”
A long history of celebrity involvement
Richard Longoria, an associate professor of political science from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, told SBS News the influence of celebrities in US political campaigns has been present since the early days of Hollywood.
Longoria said the founders of major Hollywood studios became active in the 1920s, including Louis Mayer, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios, who was a major Republican donor.
“Mayer believed that the conventions should be scripted events used to promote the candidate. He introduced Hollywood marketing into political campaigns. It was then that Hollywood celebrities made appearances at the nominating convention and campaign rallies,” Longoria said.
There is a long, established history of celebrities endorsing US politicians, including Judy Garland’s endorsement of John F. Kennedy. Source: Getty / PhotoQuest
There have been many prominent associations between celebrities and US political candidates ever since.
Singer Frank Sinatra supported and performed for Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt on the campaign trail, Judy Garland maintained a close relationship and public endorsement of Democrat John F. Kennedy and Sammy Davis Jr endorsed Republican Richard Nixon.
Does celebrity support actually help?
Recent research has indicated that celebrity involvement in political campaigns has little effect on voter decisions.
According to a YouGov poll from August, 11 per cent of Americans said a celebrity would cause them to reconsider a political issue and 7 per cent said a celebrity endorsement caused them to support a political candidate.
Americans are also divided over whether celebrities should get involved in politics at all. The poll found 33 per cent of respondents believe that celebrities weighing in on politics hurts the country’s democracy, while 20 per cent said that it helps.
It also found 32 per cent believed celebrities’ careers were damaged by their choice to weigh in on politics.
Despite this, there have been notable examples of celebrity influence on elections.
Research from two University of Maryland economists estimated that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008 generated roughly one million votes for him in the Democratic primary race.
While it is currently unclear whether celebrities will have a significant impact on this presidential election, Swift’s Instagram post endorsing Harris appeared to drive more than 400,000 users to the government’s voter information website.
It has been estimated that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008 won him roughly one million votes. Source: Getty / Olivier Douliery/PA/Alamy
Longoria said young voters in particular are more likely to follow the support of famous figures.
“Research shows that younger people who don’t yet have fully formed political ideologies are more likely to be persuaded by celebrity endorsement,” he said.
Kalinauskas from the United States Studies Centre said the closeness of this presidential race may be encouraging candidates to involve more celebrity voices — in spite of research suggesting their limited impact.
“The 2020 race was decided by 40,000 votes in a few key swing states, and there are reports that this election could be ever closer and potentially the closest election in recent decades, so this means every vote counts,” she said.
Kalinauskas said that rather than focusing on a direct causal relationship between celebrity endorsement and voter behaviour, it may be effective in simply getting voters to the ballot box.
“What we do know is that they can be incredibly important at building momentum,” she said.
“If young people are spending lots of time online, there are signs that the celebrity endorsements may go some way to encouraging them to vote — not necessarily changing their mind, but just encouraging them to turn out on election day.”
Quiet influence
While voters may not admit to being explicitly influenced by celebrities, their involvement can make subtle changes in media cycles and broader cultural movements.
Longoria said celebrity endorsements are ultimately “all about media attention”.
“The politicians get a day in the media spotlight as a result of the endorsement and so does the celebrity. It is a way for both of them to communicate their message to a wider audience,” he said.
As for indirect cultural influence, Longoria said the political viewpoints of celebrities and others in the entertainment industry have a distinct ability to “shape political norms”.
“It can have a strong cultural influence that then shapes a person’s political views.”
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